


Kuroo Tetsurou and the Month it all Went Wrong

by HomeForImaginaryFriends



Series: The Agency - Modern Magic AU [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Demons, Established Relationship, M/M, Magic-Users, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2018-12-03 13:45:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 109,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11533476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomeForImaginaryFriends/pseuds/HomeForImaginaryFriends
Summary: Kuroo has always been distrustful of everyone around him, except when it comes to a select few.  Sawamura is apart of that select few, or at least Kuroo thought so until bodies and crimes start pilling up and all point back to Sawamura.  Now Kuroo has to figure out if the man he's in love with is the black magic-user and murderer everyone accuses him to be before Kuroo ends up in a body bag himself.





	1. Kuroo Tetsurou and a Peek into the Future

Tetsurou took his seat absentmindedly, glancing around the large room that he’s seen but never actually been to.  It was attached to Section Ones building, a huge white dome that was meant to hold every team leader, their second, and all the heads of the Agency.  Tetsurou had never really thought of the Agency as a whole.  He worked out of Section One that mainly dealt with Tokyo as a whole, while the other four sections took care of the rest of Japan.  He knew there were a lot of Agents, but it was the first time seeing them all in one place.

 

The empty area in the middle of the room worried Tetsurou a little.  The seating was arranged much like an amphitheatre, except it was a complete circle.  On four sides of the cleared space in the middle stood four giant statues.  Androgynous in shape but all held items or weapons in their hands.  The one that stood out the most was the one with wings curving around its body and holding a long spear.

 

Tetsurou tore his eyes away from the middle to try and overhear anything he could.  Except there were far too much voices, all merging into an incomprehensible murmur.  Tetsurou shifted in his chair, glancing over at Kai on his left, Akaashi to his left with Koutarou next to him.

 

Tetsurou had worked at the Agency for around seven years and never had been summoned to this building.  He hadn’t even heard of it ever happening.  It was disconcerting to say the least because whatever was to be discussed would most likely affect the entirety of the Agency, if not the whole of Japan.  The Agency was nothing if efficient and having all the team leaders and their seconds in one place was not efficient.  It also had to be costing them a small fortune.

 

It didn’t help that Tetsurou was exhausted and magic-drained.  It didn’t happen often, he knew his limits and could cheat his way around them but the last couple weeks had been rough.  He had pushed himself both physically and mentally, and then he had gone and pushed past his magical limits too.  Tetsurou was a demon, he was made of magic and when he pushed himself too hard he tended to crash hard.  He hadn’t allowed himself to rest properly and now he was paying the price for it.

 

Tetsurou’s eyes automatically sought out Daichi.  Most of the lighting was concentrated on the middle area so it was hard to see but he managed to pinpoint that Giant from Datekou was the white hair and knew Section Fives seats must be in that area.  Tetsurou strained to see but couldn’t make out Daichi, or his gray haired second, anywhere in the ground.  Tetsurou tried not to let himself panic at that.

 

Daichi had been in rough shape the last time Tetsurou had seen him, which made him worry all the more, so maybe they allowed him a free pass for this one.  Tetsurou tried not to dwell on the fact that he hadn’t even heard from Daichi in days.

 

The lights dimmed and a man strode out into the center of the clear middle area below.  Tetsurou forced the scowl off his face when he realized who that man was.

 

“Attention.”  The man's voice cut through the noise of the crowd and everyone silenced themselves at once.  “You have all been gathered here today to witness the judgement and sentencing of someone we considered one of our own.  An example must be made for we will not tolerate this type of behavior.”

 

A man in chains was led into the circle, two escorts walked on either side of him.

 

Shock rippled through the crowd but it was still eerily silent for such a large room filled with people.

 

“Sawamura Daichi, your judgement starts now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to **audriel** for editing this chapter!


	2. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Suspicious Lunch Date

One Month Ago…

 

Tetsurou had been on the cusps of wakefulness for a while when the opening and closing of a drawer pulled him into being fully awake. He blinked tiredly before turning his head to stare at a broad back. A long, jagged scar stood out amongst the tan skin, stretching from the left shoulder blade and cutting diagonally across the back to the right hipbone. Tetsurou’s fingers twitched with want, he had traced that scar several times, had laid small chaste kisses against it and listened to the content rumblings coming from beneath him.

Sawamura Daichi was handsome, there was no denying that and Tetsurou had admitted to that fact upon their first meeting. Though that admittance had been only internally and had been tinged with bitterness, Daichi and Tetsurou’s first meeting hadn’t exactly been the start of a fairy tale romance.

The point was Daichi was handsome and cut a dashing figure in most atmospheres but sometimes Tetsurou was struck by how beautiful his boyfriend could be. It felt like a punch in the gut because it was early in the morning, Daichi’s hair was still wet from his shower and his trousers were undone but he was absolutely stunning.

Tetsurou was rather glad there was no one to see into his head at that moment because he was all soft and gushy feelings and that was more than a little embarrassing. He could imagine the exact curl of Kenma’s lip in utter disgust if he was there at that moment. Kenma couldn’t read minds but they had been friends long enough that he could read Tetusrou's face just fine.

“Trouble?” Tetsurou asked after watching Daichi open and close a few more drawers before making his way over to the closet. Daichi didn’t even flinch at hearing Tetsurou’s voice, the man was impossible to surprise and had probably known Tetsurou was awake even before Tetsurou did.

“I haven’t done laundry.” Daichi was a stickler for schedules. It was his way of bringing a semblance of order to his chaotic world, but when a person was the leader of a motley group and had heavy responsibilities on his shoulders personal things like daily showers and laundry tended to take a back seat.

“Oh no, I guess you can’t go to work.” Tetsurou grinned as Daichi shot him an unimpressed look over his shoulder. “Might as well come back to bed.” He stretched out on his stomach and curled his arms around Daichi’s pillow, which Tetsurou must have stolen at some point during the night. Tetsurou always ended up with Daichi’s pillow, despite the fact that Daichi had purposely bought multiple pillows to stop such behavior.

“Is that how it works?” Daichi asked, a smile warming up his handsome features as he pulled a soft blue button up out of his closet. Daichi bought his work clothes in bulk, which meant they were standard black trousers and crisp white shirts but Tetsurou found that horrendously boring so he had added a little bit of color to Daichi’s wardrobe. Every time Daichi wore one of the article of clothing Tetsurou had bought for him, Tetsurou got a warm light feeling that spread throughout his body.

“Yes, it most definitely is. Trust me.” Tetsurou tried to look as innocent as possible but even he knew it was a longshot. Even when Tetsurou was innocent he tended to look highly suspicious.

Daichi laughed as he pulled on his shirt, covering up a torso and arms full of scars and tattoos. Judging from his regular appearance most people would not assume Daichi was quite covered in tattoos, but most people didn’t know Sawamura Daichi. The tattoos were spelled, magic woven into ink by an Ink Caster. Such magic-users were extremely rare and sought after, and it just so happened that Daichi’s roommate was the only one in Japan.

Tetsurou liked the contrast of the tattoos against Daichi’s dark skin. He also liked the contrast against Daichi’s stalwart-seeming appearance. Seeing a tail end of black curling tattoo peeking above his collar or his inked up forearms when he rolled up his sleeves was one of Tetsurou’s favorite sights.

Honestly Daichi himself had quickly become one of Tetsurou’s favorite things to look at. Just being near him filled Tetsurou with a sense of deep contentment, which he has never known before. Being a demon meant Tetsurou has always had urges to contend with. It wass not just a portion of him, it wass his whole being that was a demon. It meant ignoring those urges completely ended in a disaster, but fulfilling them also led to chaos. Tetsurou had struggled a good majority of his childhood and adolescence to find a good balance.

Being around Daichi made Tetsurou feel human. There was no urge to cause disorder or destruction, no feeling growing stronger in the back of his mind. There was a need to provoke, but mostly that was just a small thing. Tetsurou had found a good balance of fond-exasperation in Daichi and he loved to see Daichi shake his head and try to hide the grin on his face as Tetsurou poked and prodded at him a bit.

It was dangerous. Tetsurou had a good idea what all of that meant, had talked about it with his mother. His mother who had lost a person that was as important to her as Daichi was to him. His mother had spent years trying to fill the void that person left, a dangerous gaping wound that would never heal, that would never be full again.

Tetsurou would have to have the talk with Daichi soon. They had discussed it before, but only in the context of Tetsurou’s mother and it had been during a very chaotic part of their lives. But that talk terrified Tetsurou, it was giving voice to something he hadn’t even completely admitted to himself. It would mean giving all the power and control over to Daichi and despite knowing that Daichi would never hurt Tetsurou, it still made his throat tighten up every time he tried to approach the subject.

“I made breakfast.” Daichi pressed a knee into the mattress, leaning down to leave a gentle kiss in between Tetsurou’s shoulder blades.

“How am I supposed to get up when you’re on top of me?” Tetsurou said sleepily, wishing just for a couple more minutes in bed with Daichi. “No wait, don’t go, I didn’t mean it!” Tetsurou reached out blindly to pull Daichi back but the man was already laughing on his way out the door.

Tetsurou rolled out of bed unhappily before shuffling out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Tetsurou had gotten off of work at eleven and despite saying he’d wait up for him, Daichi had been in bed when Tetsurou had shown up. Tetsurou had meant to wake his boyfriend up with gentle kisses and turn it into something more, but then he had curled around Daichi and the softness of the bed plus the warmth of another body pressed up against him had lulled Tetsurou to sleep quicker than anything.

“Can’t believe you were sleeping when I got home and I didn’t even get any morning sex either.” Tetsurou grumbled, though he was only a little bit serious. Being Agency members meant a busy schedule but they were team leaders also, which meant long hours. Their schedules hardly ever matched up but Tetsurou was happy for the moments they had together, even if they were both just sleeping.

“You could have woken me up.” Daichi put a plate down in front of where Tetsurou had sat at the dining room table before taking up the seat across from him. Tetsurou could have woken up Daichi, the same way Daichi could have woken up Tetsurou that morning before he went for his morning run but both of them knew how often their sleep was interrupted by emergency calls from work. Team leaders didn’t have the advantage of a solid sleep schedule, so they took their sleep when they could. Tetsurou would no more interrupt Daichi’s sleep than Daichi would to him.

“I guess we could do it tomorrow, oh wait, you’re leaving me.” Tetsurou hid his smirk behind his toast as Daichi sighed before hooking his foot around Tetsurou’s ankle.

“It’s three days.” Daichi then went to work polishing off every crumb on his plate. Tetsurou, who had the advantage of not having to be into work for several more hours, took the opportunity to watch his 30 year old boyfriend shove so much food into his mouth his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunks.

“So many people think you’re the respectable one in our relationship.” Tetsurou tsked, causing Daichi to glance up and grin with his cheeks stuffed full of food. Tetsurou let out a laugh, shoving at Daichi’s leg under the table. Daichi was kind of a huge dork and Tetsurou loved that about him, loved that only those he trusted most were privy to that side of him.

“I am the respectable one, what does that say about you?” Daichi asked, reaching for his glass of orange juice with a superior look.

“That you like shady people.” Tetsurou edged the glass away from Daichi’s wandering fingertips.

“That’s still about me.” Daichi reached for his glass again but Tetsurou nudged it away, forcing Daichi to look up from his mostly finished plate to glare over at him.

Daichi wasn’t much of a morning person, it took him a while to be a fully functional member of society. It was why he always forced himself to get up early and go for a jog every day. Tetsurou might use the fact that Daichi was still functioning on sleep-brain to his advantages. Sometimes. Okay, more like most days but he couldn't help himself.

“Annoying,” Daichi grumbled as he finally snatched his glass and downed half of it in one go.

“You love me.” Tetsurou said with clear satisfaction before Daichi quickly grabbed one of his sausages. “Hey!”

“You love me.” Daichi mocked back which was true enough.

“I’ve got the dishes, you go wrangle your kids.” Tetsurou shooed Daichi away from the sink several minutes later after they finished their breakfast and their gentle morning teasing. Daichi’s ‘kids’ were all over the age of twenty and only a few would be coming with him to Miyagi, but as the proverbial dad and the team leader he would want to stop by the office and make sure everyone knew what they would be doing for the next three days while Dadchi was out of town.

“Remember tomorrow Hinata and Kageyama will be coming by to train.” Tetsurou nodded along as he followed Daichi to the front door, where his duffel bag was already packed and waiting. Tetsurou was looking forward to seeing Hinata and Kageyama train with a couple in his own team plus a few from Fukurodani. He had been there when odd duo had just started off, had seen over the years how they evolved separately to become an almost unstoppable combination. The rate at which they grew and changed was almost terrifying but they still hungered for more.

“You’re taking Tsukki with you?” Tetsurou asked as Daichi bent down to put on his shoes.

“Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and Ennoshita are coming with me. I don’t expect any real trouble.” Daichi stood up straight and Tetsurou shuffled forward, smoothing down Daichi’s black tie.

“I thought it was a call about a cult?” Tetsurou asked, though he already knew the answer even before Daichi’s exasperated sigh. He was really just stalling for a couple more minutes.

“They found the body of a goat and some strange markings near by, they always go straight to the occult.” Daichi leaned into Tetsurou's touch just a little. “From the pictures it looked like something ate the goat, so most likely it’s a creature on the loose. The markings were most likely done by some bored kids.” Tetsurou curled his hand around the sharp angle of Daichi’s jaw, running his thumb over the old scar there and trying not to remember how Daichi had gotten that particular scar.

“Either way, take care of yourself.” Tetsurou said, which made Daichi smile despite the red spreading out on his freckled cheeks.  Tetsurou greatly appreciated the fact he could still make the other man blush.

“Three days.” Daichi reminded him. They had gone longer without seeing each other. They worked in separate Agency sections and Daichi took trips to Miyagi often. Tetsurou would be pretty busy the next three days himself so it shouldn’t bother him so much, but it did. It seemed to become harder and harder each time they separated.

“And then our double date.” Tetsurou reminded him, to which Daichi groaned and pressed his forehead into Tetsurou’s chest. “You agreed.”

“That’s not fair, you were naked and kissing me.” Daichi said, causing Tetsurou to laugh. Tetsurou had told Daichi that they were going out on a date with Koutarou and Akaashi while they were in the middle of _something_. Daichi was very much a make food at home and cuddle on the couch date, which worked out great for Tetsurou who had left most of his bar-hopping and party days back in college but Koutarou had been worried and Tetsurou was never really good at denying anything to his friend.

“You don’t have to go but then I’m not sure when we’ll see each other next,” Tetsurou ran his hand through Daichi’s hair. “And of course I’ll have to explain why I have a boyfriend who refuses to be seen in public with me.” Daichi chuckled and pressed his knuckles lightly underneath Tetsurou’s ribs.

“I’m leaving now.” Daichi backed up then pulled Tetsurou down to kiss him, soft and careful before he wass grabbing his bag and heading out the door.

“Love you, be safe! Don’t talk to strangers, well I guess you can’t avoid that because it’s part of your job but don’t get into any cars with strangers, even if they say there's a puppy in the back Sawamura Daichi!” Tetsurou got a rude gesture for that comment. Daichi probably regretted telling him the story of how a man asked a young Sawamura Daichi for help holding his puppy while he got something out of his car. Luckily nothing happened and the man was being genuine, but still. Tetsurou would never let that one down because he was pretty positive Daichi would do just about anything to hold a puppy or a dog of any kind.

Tetsurou turned back to the empty apartment. He thought it would be strange, staying in the apartment that Daichi shared with Terushima Yuuji. Partly because Terushima was rather famous and even more wealthy, but mostly because Terushima was more than a little in love with Daichi. Tetsurou learned quickly that Terushima wasn’t one to pine away for another person, sulking in the dark and given to bitter jealousy when he saw the person he loved with someone else. No, Terushima was genuinely happy that Daichi was with someone, that they loved each other. It probably helped that Terushima was dating Ushijima Wakatoshi, who was a little too serious for Tetsurou but even he could admit the man filled out his clothes quite nicely.

Tetsurou had a flat of his own, it was about the size of Terushima’s bathroom but it was his, and he lived across the hall from Kenma. Tetsurou and Daichi had discussed moving in before but Tetsurou’s flat was far too small for the two of them so they would be forced to move into a new place. Moving took time and effort, and when they both worked opposite schedules and had a team full of juniors to train they really didn’t have the time to move.

Tetsurou flopped face down onto Daichi’s bed and gave himself one more hour of sleep before getting up and heading into work. Even if it was early.

 

\-----------------

 

“You’re smiling.” Tetsurou cooed as he walked beside Kenma on the street of their sector. Patrols weren’t mandatory for the Agency, they didn’t really operate like the police. Most teams did do regular walks though, otherwise most of the team was cooped up in the Agency buildings for long stretches of time. It also made it easier if a call did come in and they were already out.

“Am not.” Kenma argued softly as he bent more over his phone. Lines of numbers and letters flashed by at a quick rate. Tetsurou wasn’t quite sure whatever Kenma was doing was altogether legal so most of the time he pretended not to see anything.

“Are too.” Tetsurou sang back, arguing back and forth with Kenma until fingers were jabbed into Tetsurou’s side. Tetsurou yipped and rubbed his side, giving Yaku a mournful look.

They had finished group training with a couple members of Fukurodani and some members from Karasuno. Azumane had shown up with Hinata and Kageyama and had been intimidated into helping with the training. Daichi always paired up his most junior members with a senior member of the team, even if Hinata and Kageyama were fully able to take the train down to Section Ones building.

Or maybe not. A couple months ago they had been on their way and taken a wrong turn. An escaped Gryffin had taken a liking to Hinata’s hair and had tried to steal the young man away. Kageyama hadn’t taken that very well and had gotten into a fight. With a Gryffin. They had shown up two hours late with Kageyama bleeding profusely while Hinata scolded him and hugged the neck of a purring Gryffin.

Koutarou had talked them all into doing a two-on-two sparring match. They had used mimic-weapons and non-lethal magic in a spelled circle created by Akaashi. The circle meant that once the participants had walked out of the circle all injuries would be gone. It was complicated magic and the practice had run over longer because Kageyama wouldn’t leave Akaashi alone until he showed him how the circle was done.

The last match had been Hinata with Kenma against Tetsurou and Koutarou. Odds were a little in the two team leaders favor, but Hinata and Kenma had almost pulled ahead. Despite Kenma’s objections about training being tiring Tetsurou knew he enjoyed it.

“Maybe we should do it more often with you and the shorty working as a team?” Tetsurou offered after getting scolded by Yaku to stop acting like a child.

“No.” Kenma said with conviction as he slid his phone into his pocket. “I could never keep up with Shouyou, he would always want something different and that is tiring.” Tetsurou laughed even though Kenma was completely serious. Kenma was a sit and watch type of person, he liked to analyze situations to the fullest and then mount a counteract. Hinata, on the other hand, tended to beat things down into submission and when one way didn’t work he switched to something else and kept switching until something did work.

The conversation changed topics as they continued down the busy streets. Tetsurou was thinking about stopping for some food.

“I can’t.” Yaku’s pale cheeks turned red as he looked away after Tetsurou had asked if they wanted to stop somewhere to eat.

“Oho.” Tetsurou cackled in delight as he leaned down towards Nekoma’s Guardian. Guardian was the name given to those on each time that specialized in defensive magic. “What’s this then? Already have dinner plans?” Tetsurou dodged an elbow as Kenma sighed and once again pulled out his phone.

“Shut up.” Yaku pushed Tetsurou’s leering face away. Yaku had only recently started to go on dates with their resident necromancer Lev Haiba. Honestly Tetsurou hadn’t seen that relationship coming, until they lost Inuoka suddenly. Lev heavily blamed himself because Inuoka had taken a hit aimed for him, and Lev has a habit of not paying attention to his surroundings. Tetsurou tended to shoulder the blame for that one, he was the leader of the team and they wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for him. As the teams Guardian Yaku also blamed himself for not defending all their blindspots.

It was a never ending cycle of blame each of them went through. Lev took it the hardest though, as one of the youngest members of the team and one of the closest to Inuoka at the time. Inuoka had played a role in integrating Lev into their team, and the deceased man had a laidback and cheery attitude that meant he was instantly liked by anyone he met.

Yaku had dragged Lev out of his depression, made the tall half-Russian talk things through and then kicked his skinny ass back into practice. It had taken a while but Lev had slowly bounced back.

Death was a tragedy but life surrounding the death couldn’t stop because of it.

Lev had developed a crush on Yaku pretty easily. Yaku had dismissed it as transference but the rest of the team hadn’t been too sure. Lev, despite his absent-mindedness, wasn’t prone to toss out romantic feelings to anyone. When Yaku had turned him down Lev had strangely taken things in stride.

And then asked Yaku out the next day.

Lev had pointed out that Yaku hadn’t turned him down because he didn’t like him, but because he didn’t think Lev’s feelings were true. Yaku had been exasperated and stormed out of the room, but Tetsurou had seen a very telling blush on his old friends face.

It was not as if Lev made it a point to ask out Yaku every day for over a year. Most days he didn’t even bring it up, but he always somehow made it clear that he was interested in Yaku. For his part Yaku mostly had no idea what to do. He had never been pursued and over several beers Tetsurou had coaxed the other man into admitting that he hadn’t had a real relationship in years.

The Agency tended to eat into everyone's spare times. Those who did date outside the Agency itself usually had a rather difficult time. Even if someone said they understood that the Agency was time-consuming, after months of missed phone calls and cancelled dates most people gave up. That’s why the majority of Agents who did date, dated in the Agency-pool.

It had taken over a year but Yaku had finally agreed to getting breakfast with Lev. Though Yaku hadn’t even realized it was a date until halfway through but Lev claimed that it still counted.

“You’re actually going on a real-life dinner date, you two are moving up.” Tetsurou laid a hand on Yaku’s shoulder. “Now don’t feel pressured to put out Yaku, you’re worth waiting for and if you don’t want to have sex then you shouldn’t. But if you do want to get that stick removed from your ass and put something else up-”

“Gross.” Kenma mumbled as Tetsurou bent over, wheezing as his diaphragm spasmed from the hit. For a person who specialized in defensive magic, Yaku sure was violent.

“I’m transferring teams.” Yaku complained.

“But then you won’t be able to see your lover's pale, pale face every day.” Tetsurou lamented once he had his breath back.

“ _Lover_.” Kenma mumbled the word in disgust.

“Isn’t that Sawamura?” Yaku asked, pointing across the street.

“Nice try but-” Tetsurou cut himself off as he looked to the outside patio of a small cafe where Sawamura Daichi was most definitely sitting at a table. Which was odd because Tetsurou had just talked to him yesterday and Daichi had most assuredly said he was still in Miyagi even though Tetsurou had made the joke about Daichi standing outside his apartment door.

“I thought Shouyou said he was in Miyagi.” Kenma said. Tetsurou didn’t find it all that odd. Daichi was coming and going to and from Miyagi all the time. It was a little strange that Daichi hadn’t mentioned it, but they didn’t update each other on every move they made.

Tetsurou looked to Daichi’s table companion. The man was almost sickly-pale with pale hair that was almost white. His eyes were deeply sunken and surrounded by dark circles. Though he was sitting down, Tetsurou could tell he was a tall man and probably several years older than Daichi.

“Wonder who he’s with.” Yaku mumbled as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Tetsurou almost groaned out loud at that.

Years ago Tetsurou had sort of, kind of- well, he had died. He had been stuck in some sort of hellish limbo and somehow communicated that with Kenma, who worked with his whole team to pull Tetsurou back into the world of the living. Except no one in Nekoma had the sort of power needed to do that, so they had used Hinata Shouyou as a wellspring.

Obviously Daichi had a problem with his junior being used to bring forth a demon. Demons who were born looking exactly like humans weren't really a well known fact. They tended to keep that secret close to the chest. So when Daichi realized Nekoma had been summoning a demon, he reacted smartly. The summoning was already happening, the spell cast so Daichi had bound Tetsurou to himself so he would have control over him.

Daichi had been highly suspicious of Tetsurou, and the rest of Nekoma, for quite a few days. Very unluckily while being very lucky, some ancient creatures from the depths of hell were trying to destroy Karasuno and use their bodies like demented puppets. Extraordinary circumstances meant Tetsurou had gained Daichi’s trust within only a few days. Tetsurou liked to joke he won him over by his charming personality, and Daichi always pretended to gag at that statement.

Everything would have been perfectly fine, Daichi was planning to figure out a way to undo the contract except Daichi sort of, kind of- well, he died too. He sacrificed himself to save everyone. It had been noble and unselfish and the most stupid thing Tetsurou had ever seen.

Apparently though, Daichi had an in with Death who gave Daichi another go at life.

A couple months later Tetsurou and Daichi had officially started dating and his team had set up several integrations and spied on the Karasuno leader. Tetsurou dying had made them all a little overprotective of him but they had finally accepted Daichi and now this.

This suspicious lunch date.

“That’s Sawamura’s old team leader, Kurokawa Hiroki.” Kenma spoke up. The fact that he knew who Daichi’s old team leader was really didn’t surprise Tetsurou all that much. When they had been helping Karasuno with their ancient creature problem they had dug pretty deeply into all the members backgrounds. Plus Tetsurou was pretty sure when he started dating Daichi they had done a deep dive into his background.

“So it’s something Agency related.” Which was what Tetsurou had thought from the moment he spotted Daichi. Tetsurou trusted Daichi completely, even if his old team leader and Daichi had been holding hands at the table Tetsurou would still wait to hear from Daichi before making any assumptions. A week ago Tetsurou had walked into Terushima and Daichi’s apartment to see Terushima and Daichi curled up on the couch and fast asleep. Jealousy and Tetsurou were not on a first-name basis. He had attempted to join them because it had looked so comfortable but mostly he just knocked them off the couch completely and ended up with a fat lip by a flailing elbow.

“Kurokawa left the Agency without notice five years ago, when Daichi was made leader of the newly formed Karasuno.” Kenma said.

Kurokawa stood up suddenly, towering over a blank-faced Daichi before he turned away and walked off. Daichi sat very still for several moments, watching Kurokawa retreat into the bustling crowd before visibly shaking it off and waving over a waitress. Despite the way the conversation seemed to have ended Daichi appeared fine as he smiled at the waitress and handled over money before getting up himself

Then again Daichi’s poker face was pretty good.

Another thing that was pretty good was Daichi’s instincts. Tetsurou, Yaku, and Kenma had been standing across the street staring at him for a solid three minutes so it was no wonder Daichi felt eyes on him and started to look around. Tetsurou waved an arm to catch his attention and watched as a smile warmed up Daichi’s blank features.

Daichi waved back but made an apologetic motion before walking in the opposite direction. Tetsurou made dramatic kissy faces to gross out Kenma and Yaku before prodding them to continue walking.

“So where’s Lev taking you? Better be somewhere nice if he wants you to put out.” Tetsurou picked up from where they had left off. The main problem Yaku had to overcome with Lev was the age difference, near a full decade.

“You don’t think there was anything strange about that?” Yaku asked. Tetsurou glanced back to the cafe before shrugging his shoulders, making sure Yaku saw the real disinterest in his face.

“Daichi will tell me about it later.” Tetsurou said without worry because he wasn’t worried.

At least not yet he wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the lovely support! Some things that you might be curious about:
> 
> The first years are roughly 22-24  
> Seconds years 26-28  
> Third years 29-33
> 
> This story takes place 2 to 3 years after the story Sawamura Daichi is a Good Person. 
> 
> Kuroo and Bokuto are older than Sawamura/Sugawara/Asahi (who are all 30, Kuroo and Bokuto are 31/32). Yaku and Kei are older than Kuroo.
> 
> Sorry if there's any continuity errors, timelines are apparently super hard when you have several established stories and you want to fit more stuff in them! But Sawamura Daichi wasted an entire year and a half of story-time being dead so who's fault is this!  
> Oh mine. Sorry again, if you catch something BIG that can't easily be explained away by magical universe than definitely let me know and I'll try to fix it!
> 
> Thank you guys again, sorry for the rambling!
> 
> Thank you to **audriel** for editing this chapter!


	3. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Ruined Double Date

“Hold the elevator please.”  Tetsurou held out his hand to stop the doors from closing shut as a man around the age of fifty walked in.  His face was severe, he looked as if he had never cracked a smile in his life but after giving Tetsurou a quick once over he nodded his thanks.  “Eleventh floor.”  Tetsurou smiled, wider and a little more extra than he needed to.

 

“Yes sir.”  Tetsurou pushed the correct floor button despite his provocative brain telling him to hit all the buttons and step out of the elevator, leaving the stuffy man to deal with that.  He wasn’t 16 anymore so he didn’t do that, plus he enjoyed the look on the others face when he noticed Tetsurou had pushed the button for the penthouse.  Another size-up was done and Tetsurou pushed his hands into his jean pockets and softly whistled to himself.

 

Tetsurou was in a pair of jeans, they were a little worn in places but they were clean.  Black boots and a burgundy sweater finished off the look.  He had picked the sweater because Daichi gave him appreciative looks every time he wore it.  None of his clothes were high-end, though they were the nicer clothes in his closet.  Tetsurou guessed the man's suit, that was carefully cut to hide a growing belly, cost more than Tetsurou’s rent for three months.

 

“I haven’t seen you around the building.”  The man said, which was a little intrusive but Tetsurou just gave him the same sharp-toothed smile as before.

 

“My boyfriend lives in the penthouse.”  Tetsurou said back, earning a disgruntled look from the man.  Tetsurou barely managed to conceal his laughter.  Old prejudices died hard he supposed.  Usually Tetsurou didn’t brag about where Daichi lived.  Terushima had picked it because it offered top of the line security and magic wards, plus a front desk person Tetsurou was pretty sure was more powerful than most people in her position were.  The penthouse offered even more security.

 

A couple years back the same ancient creatures that Daichi had sacrificed himself to kill had broken into Terushima’s place of work and killed two innocent clients and one of his receptionists.  Tetsurou didn’t blame the other man for being paranoid after that.

 

“Is that so.”  The man grunted out and Tetsurou cocked his head to the side to stare down at him.  That was a lot of anger and bitterness to carry around for a person he’d never met and it intrigued Tetsurou.  Sometimes the old and wealthy resented the young and rich, but Tetsurou felt it was more than that.  He was obviously a new tenant if he didn’t know Terushima, who was famous in his own right.

 

Tetsurou watched the man walk out of the elevator as it dinged on the eleventh floor.  His gait was stiff and there was something almost unhealthy about him.  Tetsurou couldn’t be sure but he suspected the man was wearing make up.

 

The doors closed and asked for a pin code to access the penthouse.  Tetsurou had already put in the keycard when he had pushed the floor to the penthouse.  He had also signed in with the front desk, who had required two forms of ID and Terushima to be present when he was given his own key to the apartment.

 

Tetsurou guessed having a certificated badass Agency member living with Terushima also helped with the anxiety left over from his workplace being invaded.  Daichi was rare in the fact that he specialized in defensive magic, but was also quite skilled at offensive.  If someone managed to get past the front desk girl, two security checks in the elevator, the wards, and the pass code on the door then they had to contend with Sawamura Daichi, who did not take kindly to people attacking those he loved.

 

Tetsurou stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him with his foot before kicking off his scuffed up boots.  He walked into the living room to see Terushima with his boyfriend, Ushijima, sprawled out on the couch.  Well Terushima was sprawled with his head resting on Ushijima’s thigh.  Ushijima was sitting upright and taking up a standard amount of space, especially for such a large bloke.

 

“Yo.”  Tetsurou greeted, earning a nod from Ushijima.

 

“I think Daichi fell asleep, it’s been very quiet from his room for about fifteen minutes now.”  Terushima shifted around, wiggling his sock-clad feet though his eyes never left the tv screen.

 

Tetsurou knew that Terushima Yuuji’s father had not be a pleasant person, Daichi had called him a nasty drunk and at first he didn’t think that affected the younger Terushima.  Tetsurou had thought Terushima was a care-free guy who was pretty touchy-feely, at least he was with Daichi but then Tetsurou got to know the other man a little better.  Terushima might be the most skilled actor Tetsurou had ever met because he did a damn good job of covering up whatever trauma had happened in his childhood.  It only showed in small pieces, especially when he started to date Ushijima.

 

Ushijima was actually pretty perfect for a guy who was carrying around some PTSD from past trauma.  Terushima didn’t handle loud, sudden noises very well, despite being an energetic and rambunctious person himself.  He also tended to flinch away from touches he didn’t start himself.  Ushijima was hardly loud outside of training and whether he had picked up on Terushima needing to be the one to initiate physical contact or he behaved that way with everyone didn’t really matter because it was what Terushima needed.

 

With a smile Tetsurou left them to their History of Ice Cream show and went in search of his boyfriend.

 

“There’s my old man,” Tetsurou said happily as he crawled into bed with Daichi, who was in fact sleeping.  Daichi opened his eyes slowly before inching forward so they were sharing the same breath.

 

“You’re older than me.”  Daichi pointed out, which to be fair, was true even if it was only by a year or two.  Daichi had been dead for a year and a half, and no one was really quite sure if it meant he had aged in that time or not.  Either way Tetsurou was older than him, though not by much.

 

“I am, I seduced a younger man, I am a legend.”  Tetsurou kissed Daichi slowly before the other man could continue the banter.  He thought there were much better things they could be doing with their time, and more importantly mouths, than talking.

 

Daichi hummed happily before Tetsurou pushed him gently onto his back and climbing over him.  A warm hand found its way underneath Tetsurou’s sweater, running up the long length of his spine and making him arch into the touch.  A second hand softly gripped the hair at Tetsurou’s nape.

 

“We should stop.”  Daichi spoke up, breaking off the kiss but making no movement to actually push Tetsurou off.  Tetsurou took that as a sign to start laying small kisses down the length of Daichi’s neck.  Tetsurou let out a satisfied noise as he realized Daichi was wearing a gray henley, the top two buttons undone and revealing just a peak of tattoos and the tip of nice collarbones.  Tetsurou pressed appreciative kisses to that exposed skin.

 

“Bokuto, remember?”  Daichi asked causing Tetsurou to groan against his chest.  There were very few things that would make Tetsurou stop kissing Daichi but Bokuto was one of those things.

 

“You play dirty.”  Tetsurou complained, rolling off of Daichi to stare at him.  Tetsurou could see a flush to Daichi’s neck and ears but a warm smile was curving of his tanned cheeks.

 

“You’re the one who insisted on a double date.”  Daichi reminded him, which was partially true.

 

The fact was Koutarou and Akaashi had been in love for a while but had only recently admitted it and started dating.  Before Akaashi, Koutarou hadn’t shown the slightest interest in anyone, romantically or sexually.  Tetsurou had believed, after years of friendship with the other man, that Koutarou just didn’t have those feelings.  Which was fine, Tetsurou had enough romantic and sexual relationships in college for the both of them and Koutarou had always just wanted to befriend anyone.

 

Except Koutarou was now 32 years old with no dating experience to speak of.  He had tried a variety of things but apparently they had all ended in disaster.  Luckily Akaashi had known Koutarou long enough to understand that was kind of par for the course for who Koutarou was as a person, and loved the man for it.  Akaashi could have a temper and get annoyed just like any other person, he just didn’t seem to get that way with Koutarou.  Which made Tetsurou love Akaashi a little.

 

Koutarou had basically begged Tetsurou to come along on the next date, so that Tetsurou could save the evening if Koutarou started to feel down or monopolized the entire conversation or set something on fire, again.  Tetsurou didn’t mind helping Koutarou out, but he did mind playing third wheel so he had offered up Daichi and a double date.

 

“You’re wearing jeans.”  Tetsurou groaned, pressing his face into Daichi’s pillow.

 

“You like when I wear jeans.”  Daichi’s laughter-filled voice said from across the room.  Daichi wore slacks to work, and was often found in joggers or shorts for workout or practice.  It wasn’t often Tetsurou saw his boyfriend in jeans, and he did admittedly like it.  Perhaps a little too much.

 

“And the shirt?”  Tetsurou asked, peering over at Daichi who was pulling on a plain black fest and buttoning it up.

 

“You bought me this.”  Daichi answered back, sounding slightly miffed.  Tetsurou stood up with a grin on his face.

 

“I wore this sweater because you like it.”  Tetsurou said to explain his grin as he moved closer to the shorter man.

 

“Saps.”  Daichi sighed, but he was smiling and looked happy.  He reached up and cupped Tetsurou’s jaw, gently running his thumb over a sharp cheekbone.  “You really aren’t mad at all?”

 

“Mad?”  Tetsurou asked before suddenly remembering two days ago seeing Daichi out while he was on patrol.  “Oh yes, super mad, you now have to make it up to me by washing my hair tonight.”  Tetsurou loved the feeling of Daichi’s strong fingers in his hair.  Daichi laughed and leaned up, laying a soft kiss on Tetsurou’s chin before walking out of the room.

 

“Punishment fits the crime.”  Daichi joked as they said their goodbyes to Ushijima and Terushima before making their way out of the apartment.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was back in Tokyo, it was only for a brief meeting.”

 

“I don’t need an update on your every move Daichi.”  Tetsurou admonished him lightly.  He was sure their relationship would not have lasted if either of them were that possessive.  “Though I am curious about who you were having a lunch date with.”  Tetsurou joked, shooting the shorter man a grin and earning a light jab in the side for it.

 

“So you’re not the one who was flagged for trying to access Section Five's old files?”  Daichi asked with an impressive eyebrow raise.  Tetsurou tilted his head in thought, trying to think of who would be stupid enough in his team to actually get caught on security.  Kenma definitely wouldn’t and Yaku probably wasn’t even aware that he could access everything from his computer.

 

“I’ll talk to my team.”  Tetsurou said unapologetically.  Daichi was well aware how protective Nekoma was towards their leader and he accepted it with a laugh and shrug like he did most things in life.  “Kenma said he was an old leader of yours?”  Tetsurou didn’t hide the fact that he knew who Daichi had a meeting with, it was pointless and Tetsurou only enjoyed lying to people he didn’t care about.

 

“Yes,” Daichi took a deep breath as they walked down the road to an old movie theater where they were meeting Koutarou and Akaashi.  “I was surprised when he called me, we haven’t talked in years.  We kind of ended things on bad terms because I decided to stay at the Agency.”

 

“He wanted you to leave with him?”  Tetsurou asked in surprise because he hadn’t expected that kind of relationship between Daichi and his old leader.

 

“You know how I told you about-” Daichi glanced around but the street was pretty packed.  “The 14 year old kid?”  The one who had killed several homeless people and animals, who had mutilated his own 9 year old sister, who the Agency wanted kept alive because his family was old money and a Power but Daichi had seen the truth.  The boy had been nothing but evil and he would bring nothing but darkness into the world.  He had killed one of Daichi’s teammates and permanently wounded the other, Daichi had killed him and the Agency hadn’t taken it lightly.

 

“Think I remember that one, yeah.”  Tetsurou was still a little angry that the Agency had punished Daichi for it despite being the right decision to make.

 

“My teammate, the girl who was killed, was Hiroki’s younger sister.”  Daichi sighed and Tetsurou reached out to lace their fingers together.  “The wounded Agency member was Tashiro Hidemi, an old friend of Hiroki’s.  Hiroki had been strict on his team, but he never thought we could be anything more than we were.  He was already bitter towards the Agency at that point, after losing his sister and nearly losing his best friend he became so angry.”  It wasn’t uncommon but Tetsurou wished a young Sawamura Daichi hadn’t been put through so much that early on in his career.

 

“Does he blame you for what happened?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“No, he thought I did the right thing and defended me against the superiors who wanted me gone.”  Daichi held a little tighter onto Tetsurou’s hand.  Daichi wasn’t usually a fan of touching in public, he was a bit old fashioned and a lot private and it was a show of how much the past still bothered Daichi that he needed the touch now.

 

“He was trying to recruit you.”  Tetsurou said with delight as Daichi laughed.  A lot of people who were denied careers by the Agency and those who were fired or quit tried to branch off and make their own Agency.  They mostly failed because they didn't have the resources the Agency did.

 

“I thought getting away from the Agency would help him but he’s even more bitter.”  Daichi shrugged, though he looked sad about it, like he was somehow wondering if he could have done something to prevent it.  Tetsurou felt warmth in his chest as he looked down at the brunette man by his side.  Daichi could have let bitterness and anger take over him, he had a lot of reasons to be angry and bitter but he didn’t.  He took everything the universe, and the Agency, threw at him and somehow made it into something positive.

 

“You’re amazing, you know that?”  Tetsurou said honestly because sometimes he thought Daichi didn’t hear it enough.  Daichi turned red pulling on Tetsurou’s hand to knock him off balance a little before he wrapped an arm around the taller mans waist.

 

Tetsurou grinned triumphantly before putting his arm around Daichi’s broad shoulders, enjoying the warmth and comfort Daichi provided.  He was glad how such a small compliment had the tension in Daichi’s shoulders loosening for the first time since Tetsurou had seen him.

  
  


\----------------------

  
  


“I’m never going out with you in public again.”  Daichi said as he finally managed to push Tetsurou out of the theater where Akaashi and Koutarou were still seated, watching a film noir.  Tetsurou laughed, because Daichi was still smiling even though he was mostly serious.  Tetsurou had not expected the black and white foreign film to be the one they were seeing and had immediately been bored to tears by the over dramatic acting and mostly silent movie.  He then had begun to try and get Daichi to make out with him.  He had never gotten the opportunity to do that as a teenager and wanted to check it off his life goals.

 

Daichi had, despite his severe frown and light scolding, been relieved to find a reason to exit the movie.  Koutarou had picked it, undoubtedly for Akaashi and had been doing a valiant job of sitting still and not disturbing his date.

 

“Listen Daichi, I’m Bo’s wingman, and as his wingman on this date I’m supposed to make a big ass of myself so the little ass things Bo does don’t seem that major anymore.”  Tetsurou explained as they made their way to the small lounge inside the building.  “We needed to make out for Bo.”

 

“Yeah, you’re just a great, selfless friend.”  Daichi pushed Tetsurou down onto the couch.  “Drink?”

 

“You don’t have to get me drunk to get in my pants Daichi-” Tetsurou laughed even as he rubbed his shin where Daichi had given him a soft kick before making his way over to the bar.

 

Besides the less than desirable movie choice, Tetsurou was having a good time and he was glad he agreed to come out.  Working at the Agency, like any full-time job, meant his hours were consumed with work, even when he was home he usually had assignments to read through, reports to write or correct, and new members to grade or verify.  Any spare hours were spent catching up on much needed sleep.  Tetsurou and Daichi spent more time falling asleep on the couch together than actual dating.  Not that he particularly minded waking up half curled around Daichi or the other man half on top of him, but it was good to get out every once and awhile.  They had all even agreed there would be no work talk.

 

“So, I wasn’t exactly completely truthful earlier.”  Daichi said after he had handed over Tetsurou’s beer and sat down on the couch.  Tetsurou took a careful sip and raised an eyebrow, silently urging the other man to continue.  “Hiroki wasn’t just my team leader.”  Daichi rubbed at the back of his neck, a nervous habit he usually forced himself not to do.

 

“Oho a past lover?”  Tetsurou hoped to convey how little he was bothered by the topic in his teasing manner.  They had never really discussed past relationships, if Tetsurou was honest he kind of assumed Daichi didn’t have many to speak of.  He always seemed to be so focused on his work.

 

Hell, Daichi had turned down both Terushima and Sugawara, who were worlds apart from sickly-looking Kurokawa Hiroki.  Tetsurou tried not to judge on looks, but he was only human after all.  Actually he was a demon, so he let himself judge all he wanted.  But the things Kenma had told Tetsurou about Kurokawa didn’t exactly paint the guy in the most positive light.  Life had bashed Kurokawa around and he had let it led him into a really dark place.  Tetsurou could forgive that, but he had tried taking Daichi there with him.

 

“We didn’t exactly date.”  Daichi glanced around but the only one near them was the girl behind the bar, who was too busy trying to pretend she wasn’t texting beneath the bar to pay them any attention.  “It was a hard time in my life, Hiroki wasn’t having it any easier and we started sleeping together.  At first it seemed like a good idea, better than sweating in the training room until five in the morning trying to work out frustrations.”

 

“A lot funner too.”  Tetsurou could tell Daichi was uncomfortable talking about this.  Daichi simply didn’t reveal information about people close to him to other people, but he didn’t want to hurt Tetsurou by hiding something that might come up at a later date.  Tetsurou thought that was about the sweetest thing anyone had done for him.

 

Tetsurou was a goner and Daichi didn’t even know it.

 

“At first, maybe.”  Daichi shifted his position, taking a long drink of his beer.  “But that anger and frustration and bitterness bled into us, into what we were doing and it became dysfunctional.”  It made sense.  Tetsurou had picked up on the fact that Daichi didn’t like to have sex when either of them were feeling anything but content.  Tetsurou never minded because he was just glad to have sex with Daichi at all, but also because while sex was good, Tetsurou would give it up without hesitation if Daichi wasn’t interested in it.

 

“Didn’t end well?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“No, it ended on good terms.  Neither of us were very emotionally involved in it.”  Daichi rubbed at his face, peeking over at Tetsurou.  “I feel like I’m fifteen.”

 

“You had many past relationship talks when you were fifteen?”  Tetsurou asked, reaching over to tug on Daichi’s wrist so the other man would stop hiding his face.

 

“Yes, clearly it’s a refined skill I have, I didn’t just stumble and stutter the entire way through it.”  Daichi deadpanned, though he let Tetsurou lace their fingers together.  “You’re not upset?”

 

“About a relationship you had years before we even met?”  Tetsurou asked, earning a chagrined smile in return.  “Yes, I’m absolutely upset, only salted mackerel will make it up to me.”

 

“We’re going to eat after this-”

 

“No, no.  You have to make it or I’ll be upset forever.  Plus after this movie who knows where Bo is taking us to eat?”  Daichi pulled a face but then laughed because he knew Tetsurou was right.

 

Tetsurou was right, of course.  As they shared a cab to the restaurant they all, except Koutarou, realized where they were and how they were all very much underdressed.

 

“Bo, this is a real fancy place.”  Tetsurou gripped his friend's shoulder, wondering what the hell Koutarou had even been thinking.  Except maybe he wanted to give Akaashi a memorable night to make up for all the horrible dates so far.

 

“I know!  That’s why I choose it.”  Koutarou puffed out his chest proudly.

 

“Did you make a reservation?”  Tetsurou asked, watching as Koutarou depuffed.

 

“Oh.”  Koutarou scratched as his cheek before glancing at Akaashi with clear worry in his large eyes.  Akaashi and Daichi were standing a couple meters away, talking quietly to each other.  “I messed up again, didn’t I?”  Honestly for a demon, Tetsurou was all soft parts.  He couldn't resist Koutarou’s big sad eyes anymore now than he could when they were in college so he squeezed Koutarou’s shoulder and offered to go see what he could do.

 

What Tetsurou could do was get banned from the most expensive restaurant in town.  He had tried to bribe the maitre d like he’d seen in movies but apparently people in real life just got very insulted when a bribe was attempted.  Also it might have been the size of the bribe, which was just a couple hundred yen, that might have insulted the man.

 

“Sorry Bo.”  Tetsurou tried to cheer up his friend, who wa slumped over in dejection.

 

“Bokuto,” Akaashi started off gently.  “My favorite place is right down the street from here, it is a yakiniku if everyone is alright with that.”  Koutarou popped back up happily, grinning happily at the prospect of grilled meat.

 

Conversation flowed easily and the food was quite good, even though Tetsurou suspected Akaashi had never been to the yakiniku restaurant before despite saying it was his favorite.  Tetsurou had done a lot of things just to make Koutarou happy, so he couldn’t really blame Akaashi for that one lie.

 

Tetsurou and Koutarou spoke mostly of their college days.  It had been a fun four and half year of time in both of their lives.  Mostly they spoke of the semi-illegal things they had done.  Sneaking into the school's pool after hours.  They had gotten into trouble for that one but the pool was lit and heated, the ceiling was made up of glass and on a clear night they would love to sneak in, float in the water, and stare up at the stars.  To make Daichi feel better about his awkwardness of Kurokawa, Tetsurou told the story about how he brought a girl to the pool and she had convinced him to go skinny dipping.  She then proceeded to sneak away, with his clothes, and leave him there naked and aroused in the pool before calling security.

 

“What did you do to her?”  Daichi asked, knowing Tetsurou far too well.

 

“Nothing!”  Tetsurou took a bite of his food before smirking a little.  “Well, nothing to her but apparently I had slept with her roommate and never called her again?”  He had apologized, both to the roommate and the girl who stole his clothes.

 

“They started dating each other, they just adopted their second kid.”  Koutarou spoke up, sounding happy for them as he cooked some more meat despite the fact that he’d eaten his weight in food that night. 

 

“You became friends with them?”  Akaashi asked, not sounding surprised that Koutarou still knew people they had known in college.

 

“Yeah!  I was Miki’s best man at their wedding.”  Koutarou said, as if that was a completely normal thing.  Akaashi looked over at Tetsurou for clarification.

 

“Bo made them realize they had feelings for each other, they kind of got together because of him and me.”  Tetsurou had been invited to the wedding too, Miki had threatened to cut off important bits of him if he slept with any of her family members.  It wasn’t a necessary threat, Tetsurou had moved on from that part of his life.

 

“You’ve got to have stories too Akaashi.”  Koutarou said around a mouthful of food.  Akaashi shook his head.  He had been one of those crazy kids who shoved a four-year degree into two-years.

 

“I’m afraid you’d be rather bored with any of my stories Bokuto.”  Akaashi said, not unkindly.

 

“What about you Sawamura?”  Koutarou asked.

 

“Um-” Daichi swallowed down his food.  “I didn’t go to college, I went to the Academy after high school.”

 

“Oh yeah I think Kuroo mentioned that!”  Koutarou exclaimed with excitement, grilling Daichi for his knowledge and experiences with the Academy.

 

“Ah, sorry I have to take this.”  Daichi excused himself after checking his phone when it started to ring.  As a majority of the table were team leaders, all their phones were on and no one got offended if one of them had to step out for a minute.  Tetsurou already took a call from a frantic Tora, who had stumbled upon a nest of baby _Wyrms_ and couldn’t remember how to secure them safely.  A defensive mechanism baby _Wyrms_ had was to light themselves completely on fire.  It was disastrous, it killed the magical creature, and since they were endangered Tora would have gotten into a lot of trouble if it had happened.

 

“What’s that look?”  Tetsurou asked with a sly smirk as Akaashi’s face turned pink because he had been caught giving Daichi’s retreating back a calculating look.  Tetsurou wasn’t offended, a lot of people had that reaction to Daichi.  Without being biased in the slightest, which Tetsurou most definitely was, first impressions of Daichi were mostly ‘this guy is too perfect to be real’.  Anyone with half a brain would become suspicious of him.  Tetsurou sure as hell was when he first met him.

 

“We should visit the Sawamura land sometime!”  Koutarou exclaimed. “That would help you understand.”

 

“I don’t think you can invite other people over to Sawamura’s home.”  Akaashi explained patiently, though there was a small smile on his face.

 

“The shrine is open to the public!”  Koutarou leaned forward, pushing into Akaashi’s space and seemingly not noticing the younger mans blushing.  “There are cats everywhere and the spirits are really friendly even if they do like to hide my shoes.”  Tetsurou snorted.  The spirits were still a little miffed at Koutarou for attacking Daichi when he came back from the dead.  In Koutarou’s defense, despite knowing two people who came back from the dead, it isn’t exactly a common thing.

 

“And if you happen to visit while Daichi’s there,” Tetsurou shrugged.

 

“Maybe he’ll make us food and call out the God of the land.”  Koutarou nearly shouted.

 

“God of the land?”  Akaashi eyes glanced back to the front door.

 

“The Sawamura’s have lived on that land for centuries, they’ve bonded with the spirits and the Spirit.”  Koutarou explained before shooting a look over at Tetsurou, concern showing in his big eyes that he had spilled something that should have been kept secret.  Tetsurou gave him a reassuring smile.  It wasn’t exactly common knowledge or anything Daichi talked about regularly, but it wasn’t a secret either.  Most people in the area knew about it.

 

“Daichi says he can’t control any of them, but sometimes he asks them for things and they’ll listen.”  Tetsurou explained further.  It was dangerous to ask spirits for favors, they tended to be very literal.  Sometimes people tried to make spirits more human, when they aren’t human at all to begin with.  The spirits on the Sawamura land were unlike any spirits Tetsurou had ever encountered.  They were still mischievous like most benign spirits, but they also loved Daichi and fiercely protected him and anyone Daichi extended help towards.

 

Tetsurou had been able to be pulled back into life because he had been trapped between planes of existence, not really here but not really gone.  Tetsurou believed Daichi could walk back into life because he was a lot closer to the spirit realm than most people.

 

The Spirit, the god of the land, appeared before a child-Daichi just because he had been lonely and sad.  Tetsurou had seen that same Spirit come to Daichi’s aid before.  Daichi didn’t think much about it but Tetsurou knew it would give Akaashi a thing or two to think about.

 

Koutarou basically dove for the check when it was placed at their table and Tetsurou snorted as Akaashi made a brilliant save of the cup Koutarou’s elbow had almost sent crashing to the floor.  Koutarou smiled out an apology before getting up to pay the bill.  Tetsurou put his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand, smiling at Akaashi who gave him a bland look back.

 

“How you doing Akaashi?”  Tetsurou asks, dragging out the younger man's name like Koutarou did when he was bored or excited.

 

“Stop that.”  Daichi commanded as he walked back, a furrow between his dark brows apparent that wasn’t there before he left.

 

“I’m not doing anything.”  Tetsurou purposely put more a whine in his voice in an attempt to make that frown lessen.  Sometimes Daichi was too serious for his own good.

 

“Right.”  Daichi deadpaned before Koutarou came back excitedly announcing they were all paid.  “Lead the way.”  Daichi motioned and Koutarou led them down the small walk way between the tables and booths before walking out of the restaurant.  It was pretty late and most of the stores were closed or were busy closing down for the night.

 

Akaashi followed Koutarou out the door and Tetsurou was halfway out when suddenly he was not.

 

Or he was.

 

He was laying down but he was not sure how he got there and there was a copper taste in his mouth- blood.

 

A pulse nearly knocked him back again but he forced himself to his feet.  There was shattered glass everywhere and Tetsurou was sure there was noise happening but everything sounded fuzzy and far away.  There was a body crumpled up on the ground and someone was bent over it.

 

Tetsurou managed to crawl closer to the body, trying to clear his head enough to recognize the faded jeans, beat up converse, and mustard yellow sweater that Koutarou had definitely been wearing.  He was not moving and Tetsurou could make out Akaashi leaning over him, his mouth was moving but Tetsurou still couldn't hear anything.  Blood covered the left side of Akaashi’s head, matting down the dark curls there.

 

“He’s breathing.”  Tetsurou didn't know if he was shouting as he carefully grabbed hold of Akaashi’s shoulder so the other man didn't touch Koutarou.  They didn't know what kind of damage Koutarou had taken, the blast seemed to have taken him out and the rest of them were just caught in the waves of it.  “He’s alive.”  Tetsurou tried to assure Akaashi but he was almost positive Akaashi had a concussion because he could see him mouthing the same words over and over.  Tetsurou couldn't quite say he doesn’t have some form of a concussion himself.

 

Strong fingers pulled Tetsurou back and he fought for a moment before he recognized the touch.  Daichi looked the best out of all of them, he had been mostly in the building when the attack happened.  Tetsurou’s slow mind suddenly realized Daichi was most likely the reason they weren't feeling any other attacks, that there was a shield pulsing around them.

 

Sound popped back into existence and Tetsurou cringed because it was all too loud and too much.

 

“I’m fine.”  Tetsurou slurred out, cursing mentally because he was useless with any kind of brain injury.  His magic was based mostly on rebounds, he took an attack and aimed it back at the caster.  If he was even half a second off he ran the risk of taking an attack on fully without any sort of defense.

 

Daichi’s hands released Tetsurou and hovered carefully over Koutarou’s prone body.

 

“He’s bleeding internally, his whole torso is basically broken.”  Daichi reported with a hard look.  Medical magic was rare and people had to go through about as much schooling as an actual doctor.  Med mages had to understand the body inside and out or they could risk doing even more damage to their patient.  Daichi could find out what was wrong with Koutarou but couldn’t actually assist in doing anything for him.

 

Another blast of power hit the shield.  Tetsurou watched cracks appear, shifting like molten lava.  Daichi’s shields might not hold as strong or as long as a Guardian’s defense but they tended to have disastrous consequences for those who attack them.  Another attack hit them, the shield was covered in cracks but Daichi didn’t look worried as he forced Akaashi to sit near Koutarou but not touch him.

 

“There’s more than one.”  Tetsurou stated slowly, the attacks had come from different spots, too quickly for it to be one person moving around.

 

“At least three.”  Daichi pulled off his vest in a jerky movement, eyes darting around in a calculating manner.  He pushed up the sleeves of his henley, bearing tattoos and scars alike.  Daichi had explained that it wasn’t necessary for Daichi to see or even touch the magical tattoos to use them but it helped him to do so.

 

Tetsurou cursed before grabbing Daichi’s wrist, only succeeding in holding the other man still because Daichi allowed it.

 

“I have a concussion.”  Tetsurou stated and despite the serious situation and the continued attacks on an ever-increasing cracked shield, Daichi grinned.  God he was handsome.

 

“Thank you but I’m well aware you have a concussion Tetsu.”  Tetsurou hadn’t even realized he had said Daichi was handsome outloud but he mentally shook that off.

 

“I have a concussion and you can’t take on three or more unknown assailants by yourself.”  Tetsurou clarified, or hoped that it was clarifying enough.

 

Another hit shattered the shield.  Tetsurou braced for impact, several moments too late, before watching the molten cracks blend together.  A fiery tornado shot outwards and Tetsurou heard a distant scream.

 

“Two assailants.”  A new shield took the place of the first, right before several attacks bombarded them at once.  The shield was tinged blue and Tetsurou could feel a low hum radiating from it.

 

“Help.”  Tetsurou placed Daichi’s hand on his head, felt the other man tense but they both knew it was their only option.

 

 _Onsai_ magic was a poor man’s medical magic.  It was like applying a tourniquet, helpful at first but deadly if left on for an extended amount of time.  It was only taught to senior members of the Agency and explicitly warned only to use it in extreme situations.  It would temporary push back any sign of a concussion but they both knew it could also cause a lot of damage if left alone.

 

Someone needed to stay and guard the defenseless Fukurodani members but they also needed to stop the attackers before any civilians were caught in the crossfire.  Daichi couldn’t possibly do both, and while his shields were powerful he wouldn’t be able to hold one while hunting down and protecting himself from the attackers.

 

Tetsurou felt the press of Daichi’s magic against him, inside of him and because it was Daichi, Tetsurou let him have free reign.  Daichi’s magic felt as warm as the man himself, comforting like a cool rain on a hot day.  By all means it should have felt invasive, but there was nothing harsh or hurtful about it.

 

Glass shattered behind Tetsurou and they both turned to realize that the attackers were now purposely aiming towards the buildings where people had taken refuge.  Tetsurou rolled his neck, shifting muscles and limbs to test himself out.

 

“You got things covered here?”  Tetsurou asked, turning back to Daichi who nodded.  It made sense for Tetsurou to be the one to go, because of his rebound magic it would be difficult to deflect attacks and make sure they didn’t go crashing into other buildings.

 

Every magic user had their own way of drawing power.  Akaashi used sigils, Yaku hummed, Daichi used hand motions, and so on.  Tetsurou found power in words.  Some of them were old and ancient, mostly forgotten or purposely buried.  Tetsurou tended to only use those under the most strenuous circumstances but he pressed his hands to the hard concrete and whispered a single word.

 

Black fog spread out, consuming the entire street within mere moments.  The fog would start to disappear the moment Tetsurou removed his hands from the ground but it would give him the cover he needed.  Demons saw almost perfect in the dark.

 

Tetsurou dodged out of the safety of Daichi’s ward, felt the pulse of it as he passed through.  He knew black had swallowed his iris, the entire whites of his eyes.  Knew that if someone saw him they couldn’t confuse him for anything else besides a demon.

 

It had taken a long time for Tetsurou to learn it wasn’t about controlling his more demonic nature, but finding an even balance so that he wouldn’t tip too far one way.  He wasn’t like the demon creatures who crawled out from areas of death and destruction, craving to hurt and kill.  Mostly his chaotic urges were kept in check, a whispery feeling in the back of his mind, an urge at the tip of his fingers.  It never really tempted him because when it came to times like this he let it have free reign.

 

Tetsurou had grown up feeling alone because of what he was, what he was born as.  Kenma had known since they were younger but he was indifferent about most things, as many fae-born are.  Koutarou had been accepting, instantly warm and welcoming, throwing questions out at Tetsurou as if he was something amazing.  Something wonderful instead of the dark thing people claimed he was.

 

Koutarou had made Tetsurou not feel so alone and these people had hurt him.

 

Tetsurou didn’t really believe in the saying ‘an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’.  If someone took his eye he would put them down so they wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else.

 

The first attacker Tetsurou found was hiding in an alley.  Tetsurou waited for him to lean out and push out an attack to send it right back at him.  Tetsurou felt the press of foreign power, the heat of it against his palm as he knocked it back and watched as the man’s own magic nearly cleaved him in two.

 

The next, and hopefully last, attacker was hiding in a building, up on the second floor.  The fog had cleared and Tetsurou got a brief glance of Daichi with his arms thrown wide, attempting to shield as much of the buildings around him as he could.  Tetsurou soon realized why when several blasts knocked into the wards.  The attacker seemed to have stopped trying to aim and was just throwing out as much power as they could.

 

Tetsurou sped up, knowing that Daichi would hold his wards until his body gave up and he passed out.  He’d seen Daichi push past his limits and holding a shield on half a block was draining him quickly.

 

Tetsurou had been asked to explain how he knew the perfect moment to deflect an attack and he’d tried to put it into words but it was more trained instinct than anything really.  His own actual power was a little above average but in a world full of Bokuto Koutarou’s and Sakusa Kiyoomi’s, a little above average was not much of anything.  He guessed it had something to do with being a demon too, he didn't simply just have magic inside of him, he was made of magic.  He felt it around him constantly and he could feel the shift of it, sensed an attack coming and the right moment to rebound it back.

 

It was dangerous and chaotic so it was rather perfect for Kuroo Tetsurou.

 

The air was thick on the upper floor, the floor felt weak beneath his feet as he came through the door, tossing pure energy in the form of a dagger at the attacker by the window.  The magic dissipated before it hit her but it managed to grab her attention.

 

She was expending too much magic, warping the area around her.  Her eyes were bloodshot and there was a stream of blackened blood dripping from her nose and gums.  Despite being in clear pain she grinned manically and pushed her hands forward.  She screamed as she pushed power at Tetsurou, who had left himself wide open purposely.

 

The attack bounced off of Tetsurou’s hands and slammed into her, sending her screaming out the already broken window.  Tetsurou moved quickly, it was only a second story so he jumped and rolled against the ground before popping back up to his feet.

 

Tetsurou paralyzed her before she could pull herself together and then he told her to _sleep_ and her body collapsed against the ground.

 

From start to finish the entire thing was less than five minutes.  Fights hardly lasted longer and Tetsurou already felt the drain from the high intensity.  He turned and was happy to see that there were Agents flooding the area.  Several made their way over to him warily, weapons and magic held up in clear threat so he lifted his hands slowly.

 

“Kuroo Tetsurou, identification number 82234, designation Nekoma of Section One.”  Tetsurou spoke up when they were in hearing range.  Weapons were held on him until someone gave the all clear and they were surrounding him and the only alive attacker.  Tetsurou glanced at Daichi through all the people, near Koutarou and Akaashi who were being carefully loaded onto stretches.

 

“Sir, you’re bleeding.”  Tetsurou turned his attention to a boy and suddenly started to feel more his age.  When had he started to refer to 20 year olds as boys?  But this one certainly hadn’t been with the Agency for long.

 

“I was thrown meters into the air and jumped through a window so it’s only natural.”  Tetsurou waved off his concern.

 

“You often bleed out of your ear?”  The freckled boy asked and Tetsurou snorted out a laugh before reaching up to touch the side of his face.  He was bleeding out of his left ear, which made sense.  He had probably blown an eardrum during the first attack.

 

Suddenly Tetsurou felt the air shift behind him and he grabbed the boy, using his body as a human shield before he felt the slam of offensive magic against his back.  Except it wasn’t all that bad.

 

“Um- sir?”  Tetsurou looked down and then grinned when he realized what had happened.

 

“A Guardian?”  Tetsurou asked, watching as he stood up straighter and nodded with pride.  “Great I’m going to stand behind you then.”  Tetsurou did just what he said he was going to do since whether or not the boy looked fresh out of high school, he had still shielded them without a moment's hesitation.

 

“She’s burning through any restraints we put on her.”  Another agent grunted out.  The spells Tetsurou used against her should have lasted at least an hour, long enough to get her into a holding cell at one of the Agency buildings.  But she was sprawled out on the ground, showing off a bloody grin before her eyes flickered behind Tetsurou.

 

“Sa-wa-mu-ra.”  She bit out the syllables, blisters appearing on her hands as she pushed against the ward the other Agents had put around her.  Tetsurou risked a glance behind him, saw the shocked look on Daichi’s face, how he had stopped mid stride towards them before tucking away any emotions behind his Agent face.

 

“Someone knock her out!”  An Agent ordered.

 

“She’s eating through any of the spells we try.”  Another explained.

 

“Are you going to make me disappear too Sawamura?”  She asked, eyes full of bitterness and hatred.

 

“Drop the ward.”  A woman a little older than Tetsurou strode forward and her order was instantly obeyed.  She pulled out a gun and quickly hit the unknown woman with the butt of it, effectively knocking her out.  “Brutal but efficient.”

 

“What is that smell?”  The young Guardian asked quietly.

 

“Burning flesh.”  The older Agent answered before turning to issue orders to the Agents around her.  “My name is Nakama Rinko, sorry it took us so long to get here but it looks like you had the situation well at hand.”  Tetsurou of course knew about Nakama, she was Section Two’s pride and joy.  Tetsurou wanted to be Nakama Rinko when he grew up.

 

“I want to be you when I grow up.”  Tetsurou seemed to be having a brain-to-mouth filter problem but Nakama took it in stride.  Her serious features softened just a fraction.

 

“He has a concussion.”  Daichi spoke up, eyes watching as they loaded the unconscious woman into a spelled van.  “I used _Onsai_ on him so he should be seen by a healer as soon as possible.”  Nakama nodded in agreement.

 

“He’ll be taken to our medical ward, if you would come with me and give a brief rundown of what happened?”  Nakama motioned Daichi to follow.  Daichi’s eyes were concerned as they scanned Tetsurou, who knew he should stay silent because they were representing their own Agency sections and teams but he didn’t like the pinched look on his boyfriend's face.

 

“Nakama is the coolest person ever so I’ll give you one pass Sawamura Daichi.”  Tetsurou pointed directly at Daichi, who sputtered indignantly before knocking Tetsurou’s hand away.

 

“Please stop speaking.”  Daichi pleaded, though the concern had left his features so Tetsurou counted that as a win even if he might have embarrassed both of them.

 

“Interesting.”  Nakama said, looking between the two of them as if she had found a particularly fascinating bug.

 

“Sir, if you’d come this way we can get you to the Agency building and have someone look at you.”  The little Guardian touched Tetsurou’s shoulder lightly, directing him to another van.

 

“That’s my boyfriend.”  Tetsurou said as he followed beside the Guardian, who laughed and glanced back towards where Daichi was showing Nakama what had happened from the beginning.

 

“He put up a ward that protected half a block of buildings.”  Tetsurou glanced back down at the Guardian, saw admiration clear on his freckled face and almost groaned out loud.  Or maybe he did groan out loud judging from the looks he received.

 

“I love him so much.”  Tetsurou explained, causing the Guardian to laugh again.

 

“Of course you do sir, now let's see about getting that _Onsai_ removed before it does some real damage.”  Tetsurou nodded in agreement because he did feel a bit odd, floaty and heavy at the same time, his neck seemed to strain under the weight of his own head, and he was pretty sure he would have to apologize later to Daichi for what he had said about Nakama.

 

Tetsurou looked out the window of the van, watched as the Agency members carefully evacuated each building.

 

“Please stay seated.”  The Guardian pleaded.  Tetsurou hadn’t even realized he had leaned forward to press against the window.  He thought he had seen Kurokawa Hiroki, but as of several minutes ago he realized he wasn’t exactly playing with a full deck of cards right then.  He listened to the Guardian and sat back down, turning his focus on asking questions about Koutarou and Akaashi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone else feel the need to write when they have a million other things to do?
> 
> Huge thanks to **audriel** for editing this chapter!!


	4. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Small Spirit

Tetsurou sat beside Koutarou’s bed, watching the slow but steady rise and fall of his friends chest.  Tetsurou had made them pull away the partition between their two beds late at night when they insisted on waking him every hour to make sure he didn’t slip into a coma.  He hadn’t let himself fall back asleep until he was sure Koutarou was still breathing but even then it was hard to convince himself that Koutarou was alright because he was so still.  Bokutou Koutarou was never still.  Not even when Tetsurou had had drag the other to the hospital during their first month of living together when they were just 18 and Koutarou had thrown up for two solid days.  Koutarou had joked and tossed around his arms between vomiting.  It had been disgusting and Tetsurou was pretty sure that was when they switched from just roommates to friends.

 

Koutarou was so still now.  At least his breathing was no longer labored and painful sounding.  As Daichi had said the night before he had broken almost every bone in his torso.  If the attack had been more focused it would have cut him clean in half.

 

Tetsurou reached out to fuss at Koutarou’s hair, fingers steady despite the horrible whorl of emotions twisting and turning inside of him.  He held onto the anger and pushed the rest aside.  Anger was an old friend.  Sometimes it made others act irrationally but it centered Tetsurou, calmed him and allowed him to focus.

 

The concussion had mostly worked itself out, along with the help of the medical team at Section Two.  Tetsurou had woken up feeling a bit tired and achy, a small headache pressing against his temples but all-in-all, he felt fine.  He remembered bits and pieces of the night, he remembered seeing Daichi at the side of his bed for a couple hours, remembered telling the other man to sleep and seeing the familiar tired but warm smile cover his handsome features as he reassured Tetsurou that he’ll call Suga.

 

Tetsurou had asked Daichi to call Suga.  He felt a bit guilty about it now, as if the healer didn’t have enough on his plate already but he excused his behavior as part of the concussion.  It was not like he didn’t trust the medical team at Section Two, but it was Koutarou and he wanted Suga’s reassuring presence.

 

The bright yellow wrapping around Koutarou’s chest was a clear sign that Suga had been there.  There was a matching wrapping around Tetsurou’s wrist, which he had strained at some point during the confrontation the previous night.  Suga was gone and so was Daichi, but Tetsurou didn’t feel bothered about that.  As the only one without any serious injuries, Daichi would have to do most of the debriefing and fill in not only Section Two, but Five and One also.  The paperwork alone was going to be a nightmare.

 

“Good morning Kuroo.”  The partition was pushed aside and Tetsurou leaned back in his chair to look over at a tall, willowy woman dressed in medical scrubs and his second.

 

“Mornin’.”  Tetsurou greeted, voice a little raspy before he spotted the duffel in Kai’s hand.  “You’re a godsend.”  Tetsurou got up, felt his bones and muscles protest at his hunched over position he had held for too long.

 

“You’ve been cleared to leave.”  The woman said, glancing over at Koutarou.  “Akaashi will most likely be checked out by tonight.  It would be best for Bokuto to stay for a couple days yet, but Sugawara did a wonderful job and he’ll be back up in no time.”  Tetsurou wanted to hug the woman, but he could smell himself and it wasn’t a good smell.  Plus he had been told he looked a bit leery when he wasn’t even trying and he didn’t want to scare her away.

 

“Thank you.”  Tetsurou put as much sincerity into his words as possible as he bowed to her.  She laughed and pushed him gently to the direction of the bathroom.

 

A shower and change of clothes made Tetsurou feel a bit better in his own skin.  Any violent emotions were put away for safe keeping, not ignored or shoved away but stored for a better time.  He was not even a bit surprised to see Nakama standing in front of Kai, the two taking quietly as Tetsurou made his way forward, knelt down next to Koutarou’s bed to whisper that he’ll be back and _don’t worry about the patch they shaved off, you’ll look awesome with an undercut Bo._

 

Tetsurou stood and tilted his head to the side, stretching out the muscles in his neck before pulling on his Agency facade, his team leader face.  He didn't pull it out too often, his own team had known him long enough to just laugh directly in his ‘serious’ face but it was effective on people he didn't know.  Kai raised an eyebrow behind Nakama, but the older woman just motioned Tetsurou to follow and he did.

 

Nakama Rinko was a little shorter than Tetsurou but packed with muscle, which made Tetsurou a bit jealous.  He’d always been on the skinny side, he was muscular and strong but it was more a lean muscle and always had been.  Nothing in Nakama’s appearance or attitude suggested she’d been up all night, but it was rather early and Tetsurou doubted she’d had time to sleep.  Despite his own rest and the shower, Tetsurou knows his own appearance looked shabby compared to hers.  He wondered if Nakama was looking to adopt a son, Tetsurou would be the first to sign up.  Maybe an apprentice, hell he’d even be Nakama Rinko’s errand boy.

 

Kai knocked their shoulders together, a quick soft move that was somehow chiding and supportive.  Tetsurou sent him a smirk, full of sharp teeth to let his second know just how okay he was.  There was a clearly calculating look in Kai’s usually soft eyes and Tetsurou thought the other man would have made an unbelievably good villain in a movie if the world had been a bit different.

 

“Sawamura reported what happened last night but I would like a repeat from you if that’s alright.”  Nakama explained as they made their way into the elevator.  Tetsurou saw no point in denying it, gave her everything he remembered.  Some parts were jagged or disjointed, the concussion and _Onsai_ working against him but he put it into words as best he could.  Nakama and Kai both remained quiet, not interrupting once or asking any questions.

 

The attack and fight had lasted about five minutes, the recounting of events took significantly less time than that.  By the time Tetsurou had ended his story they were underneath the Agency building, in a sub-basement that also worked as holding cells.  Section One’s own holding cells were at the top of a tall tower, like some sort of warped fairytale.

 

“By your own account, Sawamura took out one and you took out the other two?”  Nakama asked and Tetsurou nodded before they all stopped in front of a guarded iron door.  Iron was used in Section One’s holding cells also, it didn’t conduct well with magic unlike the softer metals like silver.  “I’ve never seen a ward react that way.”  Tetsurou stopped himself from saying something along the lines of ‘you’ve never seen a ward burn a man to a crisp?’ because while it was true, it was also unnecessary.

 

“Sawamura’s wards protect in more ways than one.”  Kai spoke up, which was true enough.  Nakama glanced between them before nodding and motioning for the door to be opened.

 

Tetsurou followed Nakama in and he felt Kai stiffen up behind him when they both saw what was inside a pulsing yellow ward.

 

“Her name is Kikuchi Aya and as you can probably tell, she’s dying at an alarming rate.”  Nakama stated in a voice devoid of emotion.  Kikuchi barely resembled the woman Tetsurou had fought the other night.  She was missing large chunks of her hair, which Tetsurou was nearly positive had been a dark brown yesterday but now was almost white and brittle looking.  She looked like she was pushing 120.  Kikuchi hadn’t looked her best the night before with blisters and bloodshot eyes but she hadn’t looked like she was on death's door.

 

“What is wrong with her?”  Kai asked.  They all recognized the ward around her as a healing one, though she still had bindings around her inscribed with magic.

 

“We weren’t sure at first, I’ve never seen anything like it.”  Nakama pulled out a tablet.  “She’s practically oozing powerful magic and can’t seem to shut it off.  It wasn’t until Sugawara Koushi examined her that he found the marks.”  She turned the tablet over to Tetsurou, Kai moving close to look down at the screen.

 

“Tattoos?”  Tetsurou asked.  It looked as if someone had carved kanji into her skin with a dull blade, but the marks looked well healed over.  Tetsurou and Kai both recognized the marks for what they were, power marks.

 

“Yes but with the power she’s emitting her body healed over the marks probably within minutes.”  Nakama flicked the screen and an Agency file came up on Kikuchi Aya.  “Sawamura assured me that magical tattoos do not remain active, he has gone to see an Ink Caster to see if they have any further knowledge about this.  I doubt the news will come in time to help Kikuchi.”

 

Tetsurou was partly surprised that Kikuchi had been an Agent.  It hadn’t been a long job for her, she only managed to last eight months.  Though there was nothing specifically bad in her file it was clear that every leader she worked for had an off feeling about her.  Her last team leader had been Sawamura Daichi, with the newly formed Karasuno.

 

“Sawamura was her team leader?”  Kai asked, though they both saw it clear on her file.  She had lasted the longest in Karasuno, nearly four months.  The file continued on even after she was stricken from the Agency.  She bounced around from job to job until seemingly disappeared in the last six months.

 

“He said she had a problem with anyone that wasn’t purely human.”  Nakama was well known as someone who had fae-blood in her.  “The last straw came when she abandoned the Giant that is on Karasuno, he was injured due to her carelessness and dismissal of him.”  Daichi wouldn’t look too kindly on anyone who allowed a member of his team to get hurt, especially one of his oldest friends Azumane Asahi, Karasuno’s big gentle Giant.

 

Daichi did note that Kikuchi got into a physical altercation with the teams Guardian, Nishinoya Yuu, after Asahi had been injured.  Attacking a Guardian was probably the worst thing a person could do in the Agency’s eyes.  Not every team was allotted the highly defensive members and they were treated much like gold.

 

“Sawamura held out much longer than I would have.”  Nakama stared down at Kikuchi, who barely looked alive as it was.  “She wouldn’t answer any of us but she talked to him.  She’s a zealot but mostly I think someone used her as a pawn.”  Nakama motioned to the tablet and Tetsurou flipped to the next page.

 

They were files on the other two attackers.  The one Tetsurou had killed had also been a temporary member of Karasuno, he only lasted two weeks.  Unlike Kikuchi it seemed he had no real skill, magical or otherwise.  He had flunked out of the Academy twice before barely scraping by the third time.  Daichi had recommended for him to be put on as an office member, which was rather generous considering he didn’t seem all that intelligent either, but he refused the offer and quit by his own volition.  He also couldn’t seem to carry a job, the last one he held was over a year prior.

 

The third attacker had also been male.  Tetsurou looked for a connection to Daichi because the other two had been in Karasuno, but this one hadn’t even made it to the Agency.  The Academy had a Three Rule.  If you couldn’t pass by the third time you were out.

 

“I couldn’t see the connection of that one to Sawamura either until he pointed it out himself.”  Tetsurou looked up at Nakama warily.  “They went to the Academy together, they were roommates.  Apparently Sawamura’s work would continually go missing, as would his other roommates.  One of the other boys caught him in the act and told the headmaster, he was kicked out permanently then.”

 

Tetsurou wanted to throw the tablet, to break something, _anything_ but he knew that was just a momentary fix.  He couldn’t understand why the universe had it out for Daichi, who had been enjoying his first day off in months.

 

“You think someone told these three to attack four Agency members?  Three of which are team leaders.”  Kai asked, seemingly understanding that Tetsurou was too frustrated to speak just then.

 

“I think they were a distraction that were meant to die.”  Nakama walked out of the room and with a last glance at Kikuchi, Tetsurou followed her out.  “I don’t know how long it’ll take for Sawamura to see an Ink Caster- what?”  Tetsurou and Kai had exchanged a look that Nakama had clearly caught.

 

“Sawamura lives with Terushima Yuuji, Tokyo’s own Ink Caster.”  Tetsurou explained with a shrug, trying not to look too proud of his boyfriend for surprising Nakama Rinku.  They continued to walk down the long hallway, towards the elevators.  Nakama explained everything that had happened while Tetsurou had been out.

 

They didn’t know much but it was obvious to all of them that all three of their attackers had been carved up with power words on their skin.  They also agreed that they meant to attack Koutarou first, seen as the strongest amongst the four of them.  Nakama also told them that one of the team leaders of Section Two office had been broken into.  Each team leader had a small hidden room attached to their office, full of artifacts, books, scrolls, and other such items.  Most of it was reference items, things that could not be put into a computer because magic and technology did not always mix.  All of the items were powerful in their own right, some more so than others.

 

“Everything was left exactly as it was but this leader has an extremely good sense of smell, she knew someone who wasn’t supposed to be in her office was in there and they had gone directly to her artifact room.”  Nakama explained.  “She thinks whatever they took was replaced with a replica so it might take a while to figure out what was taken.”

 

What Nakama wasn’t saying was that it had to be someone within the Agency who had done it.  Tetsurou’s own office was spelled to take a recording of everyone who entered, he was sure other team leaders had taken such precautions also.  The person also would have had to get past several layers of security.

 

“Be careful, I have a feeling this is only the beginning.”  Nakama said as she saw them to the door.  “And please thank Sawamura for me, he didn’t look like he quite believed me when I said he wasn't at fault for the actions of others.  If Sawamura and you hadn’t reacted so quickly there could have been a lot more damage done than a few broken windows and cracked foundations.”  Tetsurou covered up his surprise with a quick bow before following Kai out of the building.

 

Sometimes Tetsurou forgot that they were all fighting for the same reason, to protect the country and the people in it.  The Agency had a habit of pitting each team against each other.  Tetsurou had oftentimes been put down by other teams in Section One.  Nekoma had fallen in ranks before Tetsurou was ut in charge of it.  Even Koutarou took the brunt of a lot of verbal attacks because he was loud and emotional.  People tended to think he was either an idiot or secret genius, which he was neither.  Koutarou worked hard, putting in hours training and practicing.

 

Tetsurou had heard the whispers circulating around Section Five about Karasuno and about Sawamura Daichi specifically, and none of them were very kind.  It had surprised Tetsurou to hear such blatant praise from another team leader, a well thought of and highly regarded team leader at that, towards Daichi.

 

“You’re preening.”  Kai pointed out, which had Tetsurou grumbling even though he knew the other man was right.  They got into Kai’s car and Tetsurou stubbornly stared out the windshield, knowing what was about to happen but also knowing he could do nothing to prevent it.

 

There was a reason they had sent Kai out of everyone, why Kai was second in command of Nekoma instead of the team leader despite the fact that he had been with the Agency longer than Tetsurou.

 

“Kikuchi is only 25.”  Tetsurou startled at the soft sound of Kai’s voice breaking the silence in the car.  Tetsurou wondered if he should play up some sort of regret or sadness at the thought that Kikuchi Aya would most likely be dead by the night, it would be the human thing to do.  The day before Tetsurou had killed someone but mostly he was too busy being worried over Koutarou and Daichi.  

 

Kikuchi and the others made their choice.  People got rejected every day, it didn't give a person an excuse to endanger innocent lives, to physically attack someone because they believe they wronged them.  The Agency wasn’t for everyone.  It sucked when your dreams didn't come true, but it was life.  Get drunk, make out with a stranger, eat your weight in mochi, and then get over it.

 

“She was given more chances than she deserved.”  Tetsurou said, which was harsh and a little inhumane but Kai had known what Tetsurou was for years.  Knew how unforgiving he could be.

 

“You have to realize that Sawamura is somehow mixed up in all of this.”  Kai glanced over at Tetsurou before returning his eyes to the road.  They were currently stuck in morning traffic so Kai had all the time in the world to lecture Tetsurou.  “He has a lot of secrets.”

 

“Most people do, I have a pretty big one if you care to remember.”  Tetsurou defended Daichi, but he knew Kai had a point.  Kai always had a point.  The problem with him was he never argued, he just put his opinion out there and it tended to be the right one.

 

“Your secret keeps you safe, keeps many other people safe and won’t hurt anyone by keeping silent about it.”  Kai reminded him.  There had been a few of Tetsurou’s own kind who had thought it would be better to come out the public, and they had been silenced brutally but efficiently.  “I know you’ve read the report about Terushima Ryouta, it was riddled with inconsistencies.  I’m not saying Sawamura isn’t a good person, but even good people can be forced to do the wrong thing.”

 

“So you’re the one who hacked into Section Five’s old files.”  Tetsurou said instead of trying to dispute anything Kai stated.  It was all facts.  Daichi did keep a lot of things to himself and sometimes Tetsurou wondered about his past, thought of all the questions he wanted answers to but then he’d see Daichi and the last thing he wanted to do is go and drag up the dark things from his past.

 

“Did you know his parents worked at the Agency?”  Kai glanced at Tetsurou, who tried to bite back his surprise but he knew the other man saw it.  They had worked together for too long for Kai to miss something he was obviously looking for.  “When Sawamura was twenty two he spent thirty-eight days in the medical unit, thirty-eight days out of an entire year because he was injured so often.  He’s been ordered to have five separate psych evals within the first five years of him working at the Agency.  How many psych evals have you had Kuroo?”  One, when he first applied for the Agency and a second when he came back from the dead.  Two within five years.

 

“Is this how you all feel?”  Tetsurou asked, feigned nonchalance in his voice because he wasn’t sure what to do.  He knew his team had been wary of Daichi but he thought it was because of the whole him dying thing.

 

“We all have weaknesses and yours is to willfully overlook any faults in the people you love.”  Kai said as he finally pulled onto the street Magic Ink was on, the tattoo parlor owned by Terushima Yuuji and most likely place Daichi would be.  “I’m sorry if you feel as if this is an attack on Sawamura but we just need to know that you’re a top priority for him the same way he is for you.”  Tetsurou let out a deep breath, trying to shake off the irritation and frustration building up inside of him.

 

It was easy to forget sometimes that he had died, that they had all lived without him for a year.  Lived with the guilt that they could have done something.  Tetsurou didn’t blame them but that didn’t stop their concern.

 

“Are you coming with me?”  Tetsurou asked because there was nothing he could really say on the previous topic.

 

“No, I’ll wait here.”  Kai answered as he parked near Magic Ink.  “He’ll talk easier if it’s just you.”

 

Tetsurou got out of the car and walked down the street.  He made a quick stop at a cafe, knowing he had to eat something and guessing that Daichi most likely hadn’t eaten anything that morning either.

 

“Mornin’ Bobata.”  Tetsurou greeted as he walked into Magic Ink.  “Quick question, why are you nude?”

 

“10 points to Jigglypuff.”  Bobata pointed somewhere to Tetsurou’s right.  “I might be a little drunk still- from another time, some- yesterday maybe?  I don’t know, time is a social construct.”

 

“Any idea where your wife is?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“She said she needed to go see some penguins so I came into work for her so she wouldn’t get in trouble.”  Bobata answered, which seemed reasonable enough and if Tetsurou didn’t have some serious questions he needed answers to, he would have stayed there for quite a while talking to a drunk Bobata.

 

Tetsurou made his way down the hall, all the way to the back where Terushima’s office was.  It was a hardly used room but Tetsurou was right to guess that was where Terushima and Daichi would be.

 

Daichi was sitting on the couch, his chin was resting on his chest and he was fast asleep.  Terushima on the other hand was hunched over his desk with papers spread out around him.  He gave Tetsurou a look with his blood shot eyes before going back to his papers.

 

“Are you drunk too?”  Tetsurou asked, setting down a steaming coffee in front of Terushima.

 

“I wish.”  Terushima grumbled, greedily grabbing the cup.  Tetsurou made his way over to the couch, sitting down carefully but Daichi still stirred and sat up more when he realized Tetsurou was there.

 

“How’s your head?”  Daichi asked, reaching out and running his fingers carefully through Tetsurou’s hair.  Tetsurou, for his part, made a satisfied noise and leaned into the touch.

 

“Stop, god- stop that!  I’m literally going to throw up, you two are literally going to- fuck-” Terushima shot up and ran out of the room.

 

“We just made him throw up from our cuteness, I’m so bragging to Bo when he wakes up.”  Tetsurou flipped himself down onto the couch, resting his head in Daichi’s lap even as the other man reached for the bag of breakfast sandwiches Tetsurou had bought.

 

“Suga said he’ll be good in a couple days,” Daichi said, careful not to get any crumbs on Tetsurou as he ate one sandwich before starting on the second.  “He said some other stuff too but he was surrounded by Section Two’s medical team, you know how doctors get around Suga.”

 

“Everyone reacts the same way to Suga.”  A little bit of awe and a quick descent into deep love.  “It’s the mole.”  Daichi snorted but didn’t retort to that until he was done with the second sandwich.  Tetsurou sat up, watching as Terushima walked back into his office looking a bit pale but mostly the same.

 

“I hate both of you.”  Terushima said with absolutely zero heat in his words.

 

“Do you know Bobata is naked at the reception desk and your receptionist is off on a quest to find penguins?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“I’m supposed to be closed today, it’s my day off because it is Hana’s birthday but here I am.”  Terushima motioned and Tetsurou took a look around the office.  “Don’t get smart with me.”

 

“He’s mad because he used to be able to drink all night and be fine the next morning but now he’s old.”  Daichi deadpanned.  Terushima was younger than both of them.  “And Misaki will be fine, they know her at the zoo.”

 

“Excuse me!”  Terushima rattled a piece of paper at them and Tetsurou tried not to laugh, rather unsuccessfully.  Truthfully Terushima didn’t do angry well and mostly he just looked like an adorable little kid throwing a fit when they got too tired.  “Can I tell you what I discovered and then promptly pass the fuck out?”

 

Tetsurou was doing well with keeping a straight face until Daichi broke next to him, laughter becoming louder as Terushima turned a glare on him.

 

“I apologize for my comrade, please explain.”  Tetsurou patted Daichi’s leg, who gave him a deadpan look before turning his attention to Terushima.

 

“Whoever did this is definitely not an Ink Caster, not even close.”  Terushima sat on the edge of his desk, looking over at Tetsurou.  “I don’t know how much you know about my magic but first thing is, I don’t need to use a specific word or drawing to make my magic work.  Daichi isn’t covered in the words ‘fire shield’ or ‘exploding ward’, the same way he isn’t covered in literal shields.  What’s put onto paper matters very little.  I could draw a dick and it’d still be an effective ward.”

 

“Charming,” Daichi grunted out.

 

“The things I do, that Ink Casters do, are inactive until someone purposely activates it.”  Terushima continued to explain, ignoring Daichi’s comment.  “And then it works just like a regular spell.  Even if a ward isn’t broken, eventually it fades.  To continually draw power from the user is unheard of.”  Terushima looked sick once again, sharing a look with Daichi before glancing down at his feet.  “Mostly unheard of.”

 

“What is it?”  Tetsurou asked, the air tense around him.  “These people weren’t picked at random and they could have just taken potions or used runes carved into stones instead of their own skin.  They did that purposely too and you two know something else.”

 

Terushima moved behind his desk, as if he needed to put a literal barrier between himself and Tetsurou’s questioning.  Daichi sat stiff next to him, staring hard at the coffee table.

 

“Kikuchi asked if you were going to make her disappear too, what did that mean Daichi?”  Tetsurou asked, knee bumping into Daichi’s.  Daichi rolled his shoulders, glanced up at Terushima before looking at Tetsurou, his big brown eyes mournful.

 

“One of my first jobs as head of Karasuno was to investigate the death of Terushima Ryouta,” Daichi slipped easily into his Agent persona, cool and professional.  It was that slip that let Tetsurou know it was going to be bad.  There was no one here for Daichi to perform for so he had done it to protect himself.  To distance himself from the past.  “For a long time I thought they gave me the job because they at least suspected what Ryouta was and they wanted me to bring down the person who killed him, even if it was in self defense or completely justified.”

 

“And you don’t believe that still?”  Tetsurou asked, keeping an eye on Terushima who was busy staring a hole in his desk.

 

“Now I believe that I was given that job to protect the person who killed him.”  Daichi stretched out his leg, just a small movement that barely touched Tetsurou but it seemed to be enough for him to continue.  “Ryouta was an abusive drunk but he was more than that.”

 

“He was evil.”  Terushima spoke up.  “You don’t have to dance around it, my father was an evil man.  He was evil and violent and greedy.  If he had been poor or powerless someone would have stopped him a lot sooner but Ink Casters are _special_.”  Terushima spat out the last word.

 

“Yuuji.”  Daichi said the name with a sort of soft command.  Terushima shot Daichi the stink eye but there was no real venom in the look.

 

“My mother fled the country after I was born and there isn’t a moment in my memory where my father was anything but cold, vindictive, and mean.”  Terushima explained.  “You see, Ink Casters might be powerful in our own right but we can’t do a damn thing for ourselves.  Our magic won’t work for us.  My father hated that, hated that he had to rely on other people.  He got it into his head that he could take power from others.”

 

“Homeless, runaways, prostitutes.”  Daichi shrugged but it was a stiff move.  “Anyone with the smallest amount magic in their body was taken.”

 

“He said he was helping Tokyo, cleaning up the streets.”  Terushima rubbed at his wrists.  Tetsurou had the sinking feeling that Terushima Ryouta hadn’t stopped with homeless people and his own son wasn’t safe.  “I tried not to pay attention to who he kept down in the basement.”

 

“There’s an old legend that Ink Casters put a bit of their own magic in everything they make, the fear is that eventually they’ll run out of magic.”  Daichi explained and Tetsurou knew it was his way of saying that Terushima hadn’t been safe.  Tetsurou also thought the legend was full of it considering how often Terushima used his power.

 

“By the end he was completely lost to the madness, he chained me-” Terushima took a deep breath and let it out shakily.  “He said he needed someone with more power.  He started killing off people quicker and quicker.”

 

“He took an orphan, a young 16 year old girl who was a hedge witch.”  Daichi’s knee pressed just a bit harder against Tetsurou’s leg and he suddenly knew who the girl was.  Yachi Hitoka was the only hedgewitch Tetsurou knew, and five years would have made her about 16.  She was a nervous fluttery girl who had shown on more than one occasion that she had a backbone of steel when she needed it.  Tetsurou had only met Yachi a handful of times, she lived in Miyagi with Shimizu Kiyoko, but he already felt a keen sense of protectiveness over the cheerful girl.

 

Power was mostly a matter of opinion, especially when it came to magic.  Hedge witches as whole weren’t considered very powerful, they had small magic that was mostly nature bound.  They did well in country towns and surrounded themselves with gardens.  They also tended to get well on with nature spirits, who could be very protective.

 

“Ryouta’s death was an accident, he tripped and landed wrong on a bottom step.”  Daichi was carefully watching Terushima out of the corner of his eye.

 

“I tried to hide Yachi but we were both-” Terushima shrugged, slim shoulders remaining hunched slightly as if he was trying to make himself smaller.  “Daichi saw through it all within about two seconds of meeting me.”

 

“I gave a false report.”  Daichi’s mouth twisted in irritation.  No matter what some of the Agency’s superiors thought, Daichi did not throw out the rule book whenever it inconvenienced him.  He walked the straight and narrow most days, but Tetsurou could see why the other man hadn’t told the truth.  First there was Yachi, who had been traumatized and brutalized, who would have been forced to retell and rehash every single living hell detail and then she would most likely have been convicted of the Ink Casters death, despite her being a victim.  Her life would have been ruined, her name splashed across every headline for weeks.  Then there was Terushima, who would have every dirty secret his father performed out in the open.  Despite being another innocent victim, Terushima would have been blamed for the deaths of the others.

 

Daichi had to put the needs of the dead aside to take care of the living, and Tetsurou could only guess what that had cost the other man.  Tetsurou had seen the deep, abiding respect Daichi had for the deceased and how hard he fought to make sure every death was accounted for and explained fully.  Knowing Daichi as well as Tetsurou did, he knew the other man would take those deaths on his own shoulders, accepting blame for how they were treated even years after.

 

“I asked Yachi what she wanted and she just wanted to be away from people.”  Daichi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.  “Kiyoko was an old friend, she runs a small shop in the country and she happily took in Yachi.”  Kiyoko was a bit of an enigma.  She was most likely the most stunning person Tetsurou had ever seen and she happened to be the shyest person he’d ever known too.  She was intelligent, her knowledge never seemed to fail her and she was currently dating Tanaka and Yachi.  Tetsurou always watched the three of them in blatant fascination when they were together, which wasn’t often in Tokyo.

 

“I think I’m going to throw up again.”  Terushima got up quickly to walk out of the spacious office.  Daichi knocked his leg into Tetsurou’s before standing up, groaning as his bones popped and creaked, and followed Terushima out.

 

Tetsurou settled further into the couch, grabbing the bag where Daichi had left the chocolate muffin at the bottom for him.  His first thought was of revenge, of someone that had been involved with Terushima Ryouta wanting revenge.  It could have even been someone close to one of his victims, frustrated or bitter for the fact that Daichi had helped cover it all up.  But the more Tetsurou considered it, the more wrong it felt.

 

Terushima Ryouta had died over five years prior.  Even if the person had learned recently about Daichi’s involvement, the planning of the attack was sloppy.  They had attacked Koutarou first, which was smart, but then it all went downhill from there.  They absolutely had the power to take all of them out and they had the element of surprise on their side too.  So why just sent one attack when there were three opponents?  They could have all sent an attack at once, taken out all of them.  Perhaps they had overestimated their abilities?  They believed one attack would take out all of them.  But why not wait for the extra two seconds for all four of the Agents to be out of the restaurant?  The door had taken most of the attack from Tetsurou and Daichi had barely gotten a foot out the door before the attack happened.

 

Then there was the break in at Section Two.  They didn’t know what was stolen but it spoke of an inside job.  Someone in the Agency had to have been involved.  Also the Agency and Academy files, to figure out who had a connection to Daichi, were all closed to anyone without a high clearance number.  Tetsurou could access the files, the same way Nakama could, but anyone lower than them wouldn’t be able to.

 

Tetsurou finished off the muffin before reaching over for his tea as he ran through the details once more in his mind.

 

“It doesn’t make sense.”  Tetsurou complained the second Daichi had re-entered the office.  Daichi took a moment to raise his eye brow before sitting back down, much closer than the first time.  Tetsurou allowed the other man to steal his tea, sliding down the seat to rest his head on Daichi’s shoulder.  “Something is off but I can’t figure it out.”

 

“One time I made Suga mad, to this day I’m not even really sure what I did.”  Daichi rested his head on Tetsurou’s.  It wasn’t the most comfortable position, Tetsurou was really too tall to do that and Daichi’s shoulder was far too broad to be a comfortable pillow but neither seemed to mind.  “I came into my office the next day and all day I felt off.  I would leave the office and come back and it would just feel wrong.”

 

“Can’t believe you didn’t immediately apologize.”  Tetsurou muttered, earning a shush from Daichi.  At first Suga seemed so mild mannered and even tempered, but he was easily riled and had a bit of a temper when he wanted.  He was also mischievous and manipulative as hell, Tetsurou never wanted to get on Suga’s bad side.

 

“Turned out Suga had meticulously moved everything in my office a half inch to the left.”  Daichi allowed a moment of silence as Tetsurou laughed.  “You don’t think it would bother you but it does.  That’s how I feel now, like everything is half an inch to the left.”  Just out of alignment.  Tetsurou understood the feeling.

 

“Terushima coming back?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“No, I sent him home for the day.  After he finds his friends.”  Daichi moved his head off of Tetsurou’s, before gently carding his fingers through the black mass of hair.  “It’s getting long.”

 

“In high school I used to wear it long enough to fall into my eye, I thought I looked mysterious.”  Tetsurou admitted, even though Daichi had seen several pictures of a younger Tetsurou.  Daichi made a soft noise, clearly not present for the current conversation.  “Do you want to have sex on Terushima’s desk?”  Daichi’s eyes glanced over at the desk absent-mindedly before he realized what Tetsurou actually asked.  Tetsurou expected the light hit but whined when Daichi stood up.

 

“I don’t know how things are run over at Section One, but I actually have a job to get to.”  Daichi teased him lightly, tapping his foot against Tetsurou’s.  Tetsurou pushed himself into a standing position, grinning despite the fact that he was essentially being kicked out because he had successfully pulled Daichi out of a dark spot.

 

Tetsurou walked out of the office, turning around in the hallway to watch Daichi turn off the office light and close the door behind them.  Daichi stood in front of the closed door, broad shouldered and soft eyed.  Tetsurou had no choice but to step forward and kiss him lightly, letting the tips of his fingers rest against Daichi’s clean shaven jaw.

 

“Take care of yourself.”  Daichi ordered and Tetsurou shot him a smirk because they both knew that was exactly what Tetsurou was going to say.

 

“Always do.”  Tetsurou pinched Daichi’s nose, just to annoy him before he was dodging a soft-ball hit and making his way down the hallway.

 

Tetsurou began to make a mental list of all the things he had to accomplish that day.  He would have to write a report of the attack.  He always found it helpful to write things down, to go into as much detail and recall everything he could.  It would help him later on, a small detail that seemed insignificant right then could possibly help in the future.  He would have to read over the files Nakama sent him too, she said she would send him copies and she didn’t seem like a person who wouldn’t follow through on her word.  Writing up a timeline for each of their attackers might help.  Something had to have happened with them to make them take such drastic actions.  There were other reports to write and check over also, assignments to hand out to his team.

 

It would most likely be a fairly long day.

 

Tetsurou settled into the car as Kai put away his book and pulled on his own seatbelt.

 

“Did you ever wonder why Daichi didn’t just end the contract when you guys brought me back?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

Several years prior Tetsurou had his own run in with death.  It had been a routine assignment, something Tetsurou had only taken Kenma to deal with.  Sometimes kids got bored and started messing with things they really shouldn’t, the Agency stepped in, and mostly they just let the parents deal with the punishments.  They had been doing fine and the kids had put down the ancient weapons they had _somehow_ got ahold of.  Well except for one kid, who had bled all over an old athame, that then gone completely ballistic.  Tetsurou had tried to deflect the attack that had been heading straight for Kenma, but he had made an error.  He had taken a split second too long when he had realized he would have sent the attack right back at the kids.  They had been a bunch of idiots but they hadn't deserved to die for it.  That moment of indecision had costed Tetsurou his life.

 

Except Tetsurou was a demon and his soul, or whatever the demon-equivalent was to that human concept, had been stuck in a horrible in-between state.  He had been neither completely dead nor living.  It had been hell and somehow he had managed to communicate that to Kenma and the others.

 

The problem was Tetsurou’s body had been a rotting corpse with a huge hole blown through it and they simply had not possessed the sort of power it would have been needed to summon a demon.  They had searched for months for an answer until one seemed to fall into their laps in the form of Sawamura Daichi and his untrained junior, Hinata Shouyou.

 

Each Agency team had a clay golem, they were mostly useless and the newer versions had spells put into them so nothing could possess them.  Karasuno was equally a brand new team and an old fallen one, they were in possession of an older version of the golems.  Daichi had been looking for someone with Sprite-blood to help train an out of control Hinata at the time.  Kenma had Sprite blood on his mother's side and had agreed to help, if only they could borrow Karasuno’s golem.

 

Honestly the whole thing had gone horribly wrong from the start.  Daichi had figured out what they had been doing and attempted to stop them.  When he realized he couldn’t, he had bound Tetsurou to him in a demon-contract.  It had been dark and forbidden magic that had saved Tetsurou.  Being placed into the clay golem had left Tetsurou immobile at first, unable to hear or breath or do much of anything but slowly suffer to death.  Daichi’s contract had saved Tetsurou, given him something solid to hold onto so he could pull himself fully into the land of the living.

 

“By all accounts he should have killed me, right?”  Tetsurou asked when Kai remained silent.  Most people did not know that demons walked amongst them.  They were fairly different from the well documented accounts of demons, who were pulled from the depths of some hellscape and used to cause destruction and death.  Mostly the demons who looked human lived as Tetsurou did, keeping their secret as close to the vest as they could.  Daichi hadn’t known Tetsurou was a different kind of demon, all he had known was Nekoma had summoned a demon.

 

“We thought he would.”  Kai answered honestly.  Daichi had made Tetsurou accompany him back to Section Five.  Tetsurou had been miserable and he had been was pretty sure he wouldn’t have lived to see another day.  “We thought he took you to look for a way to kill you without harming himself.  We knew he wouldn’t risk telling anyone else considering the contract was on his skin and it’s illegal.”  Kai hardly ever revealed any emotion besides serenity, but Tetsurou had known him a long time.  Kai had voiced an old frustration, being forced to watch someone he loved walk away and not sure if he would see him again.

 

“He immediately told Azumane and Suga.”  Tetsurou grinned, he couldn’t help it.  He had kept his secret to himself for so long, only letting Kenma and much later on in life Koutarou in on it.  After he had died his entire main team had known and a good chunk of Karasuno too.  “He knew he had complete control over me, he could have forced me to do whatever he wanted or interrogated me.”  But Daichi hadn’t, not even when he still had thought there had been a chance Tetsurou could be evil.

 

Kai’s brows furrowed just the slightest bit, his thumbs drumming against the steering wheel as they stopped in the early morning traffic.  Tetsurou stretched out in the seat and allowed Kai to work things through himself.  It was important that the other man came to the conclusion that Tetsurou had reached over a year ago about Sawamura Daichi’s character, far before he loved the man.

 

“It was us, wasn’t it?”  Kai glanced over at Tetsurou before returning his eyes to the road.  “Nekoma and Karasuno are incredibly similar.”  The members and the way they processed assignments were completely different, but both teams functioned more as a family than it did as a team.  It was rather rare and it didn’t make their teams better than others, but it set them apart.  If Koutarou died the members of Fukurodani would be devastated, but they would move on because they were a work team.  They had outside family and friends, while Nekoma was Tetsurou’s family, they were his friends.  Fukurodani would mourn the loss of its leader but they wouldn’t go to hell and back to bring him back.  That was what family did.

 

“He trusted you from the beginning?”  Kai asked, causing Tetsurou to snort.

 

“Hardly.”  Tetsurou wasn’t offended by the cold logic.  Daichi couldn’t afford to trust people quickly or easily, most people in their positions couldn’t.  “Daichi sacrificed himself to protect not only his family, but all of Tokyo.  He tore his soul apart so mine wouldn’t be harmed.  Someone who does things like that doesn’t go and attack people, they don’t use lost and confused people, they don’t allow innocent civilians to be caught in the crossfire.”

 

“You’re right.”  Kai admitted as he pulled into the parking deck for Section One.  “He might not have orchestrated what happened but someone is doing their hardest to make sure it looks like he’s involved and that’s still dangerous.”  Dangerous for Tetsurou, who was close to Daichi was what Kai meant.

 

“Huh.”  Tetsurou frowned as he pulled himself out of the car, looking at Kai over the hood.

 

“Sawamura makes a good distraction, doesn’t he?”  Kai asked and Tetsurou couldn’t help but smirk at that, even though he knew his old friend didn’t mean it in that way.

 

“He easily distracts me.”  Tetsurou said as they began to walk into Section One’s building together.

 

“Please eat something before you bury yourself in your office.”  Kai expertly ignored Tetsurou smirks and unnecessary commentary.  They had been working together for years after all.

 

“Yes sir.”  Tetsurou saluted before he handed over his badge to the front desk to be scanned.  The cheerful girl behind the counter chirped a welcome back, adding that she was glad to see he was okay.  Tetsurou wasn’t even surprised that she knew what happened, the security and receptionists of Section One had eyes and ears everywhere.

 

Tetsurou leaned against the counter, getting as much information from the two girls on duty that morning as he could.  They were full of it and happy to talk about what they had overheard.  Some gossip but Tetsurou wasn’t about to shoot any new leads down.

 

Something flashed in the corner of his eye and Tetsurou turned his head, eyebrows raising in surprise as he recognized the little spirit dodging in between feet and briefcases.  The appearance of small land spirits varied greatly from place to place but Tetsurou would know the spirits from the Sawamura land anywhere.  They were mostly tiny little things, showing themselves only to those they liked and often taking on the vague forms of animals and mythical creatures.

 

Spirits did not move from their locations though so it was almost impossible for one to be here, all the way in Tokyo when it originated from Miyagi.

 

Tetsurou tilted his head to the side, watching the spirit that was about the size of a field mouse dart around the entrance area of the building.  He vaguely took note of Kai continuing the conversation with the security women as he stepped forward when the spirit stopped and pointed upwards before disappearing completely.

 

Tetsurou looked at the person the spirit had pointed to, surprised when he caught Akaashi’s profile as he made his way out of the building while most people were walking in.

 

“Akaashi!”  Tetsurou shouted but to no avail.  He ran a hand through his wild hair, mentally reminding himself to get a haircut as he pondered about the spirit that was so far from home.

 

“Kuroo?”  Kai asked, warm hand on Tetsurou’s shoulder.

 

“Sorry, I saw Akaashi.”  Tetsurou explained, waving bye to security before continuing to make his way further into the building with Kai.  “I wonder if Bo’s awake yet.”  Tetsurou mumbled, mostly to himself as he patted his pockets for his phone.

 

“Food first.”  Kai commanded as Tetsurou nodded, walking towards the cafeteria while dialing the number for Section Two.  He remembered one of the medics commenting about how Koutarou’s phone was fried so it would be best to call him through the Agency.

 

Tetsurou had a tray full of food and was in the elevator heading towards his office when Koutarou was finally put on the phone.

 

“Tetsu!”  Koutarou cried.  Tetsurou almost collapsed with relief, he hadn’t even noticed how tense he had been before he heard Koutarou’s voice.  He had seen Koutarou lying in the bed, surrounded by healers and doctors who had assured him that Koutarou would be fine but he hadn’t realized how much he just needed to hear his friend's voice.

 

“Finally woke up did you?  Took you long enough.”  Tetsurou teased as he made his way out of the elevator and towards his office.

 

“I can’t believe I got knocked out with one hit!”  Koutarou complained, his voice low as he sulked.  “How embarrassing.”  Tetsurou felt his heart squeeze a bit painfully as he thought about how bad that one hit really could have been.  How close he had been to losing one of his oldest friends.

 

“Did they tell you what happened then?”  Tetsurou asked, placing the tray on his messy desk and cringing slightly at the overflow of papers.  Tetsurou was sure at one point in his career he had been tidy and organized but filling out reports had lost his shine sometime in the past year or so.

 

“Yeah, you and Sawamura cleaned up.”  Tetsurou was glad that Koutarou didn’t ask if Tetsurou was okay after taking a human life.  Tetsurou knew it was callous of him but if someone tried to kill him or someone he cared about, or just innocent people, he had no problem ending them so they couldn’t hurt anyone in the future.  He was also quite sure Daichi carried enough guilt for the two of them, which was something Tetsurou fully planned on helping Daichi with after they had figured the whole attack out.

 

“I’m guessing Akaashi is doing okay if he’s up and walking around?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“What?”  Koutarou asked back.  “No, he’s stuck on bedrest for the rest of the day with me.  He’s actually sleeping right now, which is why I’m being quiet.”  In all the years Tetsurou had known Bokuto Koutarou he had never learned how to regulate his volume in the slightest but that was beside the point.

 

“He’s there with you right now?”  Tetsurou asked, his feet already carrying him out of his office and down the long winding hallway.

 

“Yeah, the doc said I’ll most likely recover quicker than him because he’s got a bad concussion and mostly I’m just all broken bones.”  Koutarou explained, unaware of Tetsurou running at full speed down the hallway.  “Whatever Suga did really helped me, they said I’ll be able to leave by tomorrow morning, though I’m on desk duty for the next week which-”

 

Tetsurou tuned out Koutarou’s words as he stepped carefully into the Fukurodani’s leader's office.  It was a slightly bigger version of Tetsurou’s, immaculately kept.  Nothing looked out of place or touched in any way.

 

Tetsurou stepped fully into the room, placing his phone carefully on a bookshelf as he pushed his magic outside of himself, letting it fill the space of the room.  There was a charmed bookmark and several of the books themselves cast off their own magic but nothing was-

 

“Stolen items.”  Tetsurou muttered to himself, thinking back to what Nakama had said about someone using the attack on them as a distraction to steal something out of Section Two’s building.  Tetsurou went to a large bookcase, pressing three knots in the side of it simultaneously until he heard a click and could slide the bookcase to the left.

 

The only reason Tetsurou pulled his magic to himself in time for the blast was because he had coated it in the room before hand, but it still wasn’t enough.  Tetsurou aimed the attack back into the hidden room but was still thrown backwards, his body slamming into the opposite wall and his whole world was soon swallowed by an inky blackness and the smell of something burning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know how I want it to end and a lot of the bigger details but the smaller things are killing me.
> 
> Biggest thanks in the world to **audriel** for editing this chapter!


	5. Kuroo Tetsurou and Even More Questions

For the most part, Tetsurou didn't have a problem with hospitals or medical units.  They served their purpose and they helped people.  But he found himself a little sick of being a patient of one.  Being stuck in a bed meant that he couldn't escape the endless questioning by too many officials.  Everyone knew exactly where to find him and if he even considered getting out of bed, there was a nurse ready to scold him.  Tetsurou was over thirty years old, he shouldn’t be scolded by a 150-centimeter-tall boy.

 

“Stop scratching at it.”  Tetsurou let his arm drop down from the bandage covering most of his left arm and shoulder.  It itched like crazy, and seemed to have taken most of the damage from the blast.

 

“It itches.”  Tetsurou whined up towards the ceiling, he could almost see the vein in Yaku’s head throbbing in annoyance.  Tetsurou knew he shouldn’t push the other man.  Yaku was almost always in some state of aggravation, but concern was added to that mixture now.  Concern over Tetsurou, who currently wasn’t making any of their lives any easier.

 

“I don’t give a shit if it itches, stop scratching it.”  Yaku snapped and Tetsurou rolled his head to look over at the man.  Usually Yaku avoided giving Tetsurou lectures in front of the whole team, it kind of undermined Tetsurou’s position but between the medical staff and the constant stream of people coming to question what had happened, Yaku hadn’t been given a chance to properly scold Tetsurou.

 

“I don’t know why you’re angry at me, I didn’t know the place was going to blow up.”  Tetsurou said, trying to get the ball rolling on this before Yaku became even more enraged.

 

“But you knew something was off and yet you still went in.”  Yaku growled.

 

“Yes I did, to investigate it because that’s part of my job.”  Tetsurou rubbed at his forehead, his head throbbing in pain.  “They didn’t use any type of explosive devices at Section Two, I had no reason to believe that it would be dangerous going in there.”  Some of the people who had questioned Tetsurou had seemed like they wanted to pin it all on him, not admit that someone had snuck past security by stealing Akaashi’s card from Section Two.  They almost flat out accused him of setting off a trap that Koutarou had set up.  Which was absolutely ridiculous for several reasons but the main one being, Koutarou would never use something like that as a trap.  Tetsurou put safeguards on his own room but most of them were silent trackers, nothing that might cause an innocent person to be harmed.

 

Tetsurou partially understood their response though.  It was easier to admit that one of their own agents, who was already caught, had either gone rogue or had set off a trap when he tried to steal something from another agents room.  They had tried to suggest that maybe he was just going to borrow something while Koutarou was gone and he hadn’t realized there had been a trap set off.  Nonsense.  Tetsurou knew enough of the teams in Section One to know he could simply just ask if he needed something.  There was absolutely no reason to steal something, especially not from Koutarou.

 

Tetsurou wouldn’t have minded being questioned so much, they had to check out every avenue of reason after all, but they were far too concentrated on him.  Tetsurou knew the reason why, his entire team did.  Tetsurou had been involved with the attack the previous day, he could have been seen as a distraction for a partner to steal something from Section Two.

 

They had asked questions about Tetsurou’s relationship with Daichi, which was when Tetsurou started to get angry.  Tetsurou didn’t find anger a useful emotion, it tended to fog the mind and senses.  But the more questions they asked, personal questions, the angrier Tetsurou could feel himself getting.

 

They had a round peg and a square hole but they were trying their damndest to fit that peg into that hole, ignoring everything around them that stated that the peg would not fit.

 

“Here’s the footage.”  Kenma spoke up, interrupting the fight with cool efficiency.  Tetsurou pushed himself into a seated position, helped quickly by Tora when Tetsurou almost passed right back out.  He kind of missed the cooling effect of Suga’s med magic but the building was under lockdown, which meant no one left or entered until everything was cleared.  Sadly none of the med mages of Section One had been in the building before it went under lockdown.

 

Tetsurou watched the footage once then a second time.  His vision wasn’t great, he had  two concussions in as many days.  Concentrating on the film made Tetsurou’s head ache even more but he rewound it and watched it a third time.  The little spirit was never visible, which wasn’t all that surprising.  Spirits tended to not show up on film but neither did mirror magic.

 

Mirror, clone, copy- it was all the same type of magic.  It was a rare talent and something that a person was born with, not something that could be learned.  Like an Ink Caster or Elemental.  Mirror Magic did not show up well on film either.  The person Tetsurou knew as Akaashi walked through the front entrance of the building, face a blur.  They appeared taller than Akaashi on film too.  Mirror Magic was different from a fae’s Glamour, which was real and would appear so on film.  It meant the person who had copied Akaashi’s form was most likely human.

 

Kenma had compiled all known footage of the fake-Akaashi and Tetsurou watched the blurry faced fake walk into the building.  It must have been easy to copy him.  Akaashi tended not to speak to anyone outside his team and he was known for being a bit distant and cold to others.  No one expected conversation.  The fake could have easily grabbed Koutarou’s keycard from Section Two, but copying Koutarou would have been a near impossible feat.  If Koutarou hadn’t spoken to at least a dozen people before he reached his office, people would take notice.

 

The time stamp showed that the fake-Akaashi had been in Koutarou’s office for over forty minutes.  No offices had cameras, unless they were put there by the team leader themselves.  Tetsurou had a hidden one in a picture frame on his desk.  But Tetsurou doubted Koutarou set up anything, and if he did everything had been blown to pieces in the blast.

 

“Hey!”  Tetsurou complained when the tablet was taken away from him as he went to watch the footage again.

 

“You’re swaying.”  Kenma admonished softly.  “You should rest.”

 

Tetsurou needed to know why they decided to explode Koutarou’s office instead of just replicating the item like they had at Section Two.  Perhaps they hadn’t had time to replicate the item?  Koutarou and Akaashi were only to stay at Section Two for another night.  Akaashi might have noted his missing keycard before that.

 

“Where were the rest of Fukurodani?”  Tetsurou asked as he laid back down, groaning in relief as his head hit the pillow.

 

“They are all currently out in the field.”  Kai answered as Tetsurou continued to stare up at the ceiling, trying to put the pieces together.  It had been a golden opportunity.  But how would this person know the entire team was out of the office?  Why stole from two buildings at all?  The items in Koutarou’s room alone were powerful and had a hefty price tag if that was what they were looking at.

 

“Tora, can I borrow your phone?”  Tetsurou asked and Tora nodded, easily handing over his phone.  Tetsurou’s hadn’t lived through the blast.  He had told them earlier to call Koutarou and make sure he knew Tetsurou was okay, since Tetsurou had been on the phone with the other man when the blast had gone off, but there was someone else who was probably worried.

 

Tetsurou wasn’t all that surprised to see Tora already had Daichi’s number programmed into his phone.  The honorific added to the name made him smile a little as he pushed the call button and pressed the phone to his ear.

 

“Yamamoto, is everything alright?”  Daichi’s voice was warm and full of concern.  Tetsurou swallowed the lump in his throat down, felt a bit like a fool for getting so emotional over a man's voice.

 

“It’s me.”  Tetsurou could make out Kageyama’s annoyed bark in the background, followed by Tsukishima’s quiet drawl.  There was a lot of background noises but Daichi was most likely attempting to break up Kageyama and Tsukishima’s fight when he got the call.

 

“Kuroo.”  Daichi said with clear relief, dropping back into formality when surrounded by other people.  “Tsukishima, since you have so much energy you can go work it off in the training room with Tanaka and Noya.  Kageyama, don’t you have studying to do?  Or have you already completed the worksheets I’ve given you?”  Tetsurou could almost see everyone snap to attention at the low tone Daichi used to easily issue orders.  Tsukishima snarked back to everyone but he never failed to follow an order, especially given by Daichi, so he was most likely glowering as he was physically dragged from whatever room they were in, to the training room.

 

Tetsurou replayed what happened, ignoring his team around him as he settled back into the bed, listened to the soft noises Daichi made at pauses in his story.  The background noises gradually recede and if Tetsurou had to guess, he’d say Daichi moved into his office.

 

“You’re alright?”  Daichi asked.

 

“A little banged up but fine.”  Tetsurou answered honestly.  If people would stop interrupting he could actually get a kip then he’d be doing a lot better.

 

“Good.  So,” The sound of a chair squeaked in the background.  Tetsurou had spent enough time in Daichi’s office to know that he was sitting behind his desk, pushing on the back of the old chair.  “What are you wearing?”  Tetsurou let out a surprised wheezing laugh that broke out into a cackle, even as his head pounded in protest.  He could almost see Daichi’s pleased smile.

 

“Can’t believe you said that.”  Tetsurou could feel himself relax fully, wasn’t really surprised that only a few words from Daichi made his worries go away, at least temporary.

 

“Neither will anyone else.”  Daichi said, laughter lacing his voice.  “Is there anything I can do for you?”  If Tetsurou was alone he would have said something sappy like ‘just hearing your voice is enough’ but he wasn’t quite brave enough to let anyone see that side of him just yet, besides Daichi of course.  Tetsurou had failed miserably at hiding how much of a cheeseball he really was from his boyfriend.

 

“If you could send Suga over my way that would be great.”  Tetsurou rubbed at his forehead with his free hand before something cold slapped against his chest.  He looked down to see a cold wrap and groaned in relief when he put it against his eyes.

 

“I’ll get right on that, anything else?”  Daichi teased him.

 

“A big bouquet of flowers, you’re supposed to get people who are hurt flowers or big stuffed animals Sawamura.”  Tetsurou admonished him, though there was no real heat in his words.  “Can your spirits leave their land?”  It had been bothering him since he had seen the little spirit but not in a worrying way.  The spirits back on the Sawamura land in Miyagi loved Daichi, it wouldn’t be that surprising that a few stronger ones would follow him wherever he went.

 

“Yes, but I don’t think the one you saw was from Miyagi.”  Daichi answered, as if he had been mulling it over.  “There’s been an increase of spirits sighted at the Life Tree, Asahi mentioned that they looked a lot like the ones from home.”  The Life Tree was actually called the Sawamura Tree, though Daichi refused to call it that.  It was the tree that had grown from the spot Daichi had sacrificed himself on, cancelling out any ill effects of the dark magic.  After two years the tree had grown a significant amount.  It was as tall as some of the five story buildings surrounding it and was thick all the way around.  The tree was magic, so it made sense that small spirits like the one Tetsurou had seen would either be born of it or be attracted to it.  Spirits usually didn’t bother in the affairs of humans but if the spirit Tetsurou had seen was born from the Sawamura Tree then it could have an affinity for Tetsurou himself, wanting to help.

 

Tetsurou didn’t blame the small spirit for the explosion, only the person who set it would hold all the blame.  Spirits tended to be very literal in their help, it was why most people advised against asking for their help.  The spirits on the Sawamura land were ancient, though they were mischievous at times they would never have led Tetsurou into a dangerous situation.  The ones at the Tree were only a couple years old and just eager to help.

 

“Come in,” Daichi spoke out to whoever had knocked on his door.

 

“Sorry to interrupt, we’re going to do some sparring with the new trainees while we’re on lockdown if you want to join.”  Iwaizumi’s deep voice spoke from a distance.  Tetsurou hadn’t known they had locked down each Sections building but it made sense.  They would want to secure everything and get better security before continuing on with business as usual.

 

“Go impress the children.”  Tetsurou urged, knowing Daichi loved to help train any of the incoming Agency recruits.

 

“I’ll be right down there,” Daichi answered Iwaizumi before the chair squeaked again.  “Get some sleep Tetsu, I’ll talk to you later.”  Tetsurou smiled even as he felt his team move around him, someone had entered the medical unit and he started to mentally prepare himself for more asinine questions.

 

“Love you too, kick some ass for me.”  Tetsurou said softly before hanging up and removing the cold wrap from his eyes.  Tetsurou sat up and was surprised to see Nekomata Yasufumi and Naoi Manabu, the two men in charge of the Nekoma team.  His team rose from their seats, bowing respectively to the two older men.  Mostly Nekomata and Naoi left the team be, Tetsurou had gone to them often when he first became the leader of Nekoma but that had been years ago.

 

Nekomata made pleasant small talk, managing to look like a harmless old man while simultaneously sending off every warning bell in Tetsurou’s head.  Tetsurou had gotten used to the feeling.  He knew Nekomata was something _other_ than fully human.  Nekomata had known what Tetsurou was from their first meeting and had helped bring Tetsurou back from the dead, in a legal sense anyways.  Tetsurou wasn’t sure what Nekomata was but he could count on him and that was all that mattered.

 

The members of Nekoma filed out, leaving Tetsurou alone with Nekomata and Naoi.  Naoi pulled up a chair for Nekomata before standing off to his left side.

 

“Undoubtedly you’ve picked up on the fact that there are some who wish to put the blame of this attack on your shoulders.”  Nekomata spoke up, looking amused at the prospect of Tetsurou getting blamed for blowing up Koutarou’s office.  “There are others who think this is an attack aimed at Sawamura Daichi, or that he planned the whole thing.  But that is all things you already know, so let me tell you something you don’t.  There are those in power who believe that the attacks are aimed at Bokuto Koutarou.”

 

Tetsurou wasn’t all that surprised.  Leaving out the people who attacked them all the previous day, it did look like an attack on Koutarou.  He was the first person hit and it was his office that had been attacked.

 

“Fukurodani has been assisting in an ongoing investigation against the Yakuza.”  Tetsurou was surprised about that, though he knew he shouldn’t be.  Fukurodani was one of the top teams in Section One and Koutarou didn’t really talk about their work all that often.  Tetsurou had never questioned it before.  He worked ten, sometime fifteen hour days.  The last thing he wanted to talk about during his off hours was work.

 

“They think this is a Yakuza attack against Bokuto?”  Tetsurou asked but even voicing it it didn’t add up.  There were too many variables.

 

“You sound doubtful.”  Nekomata looked amused and Tetsurou knew the older man wanted him to work through his thought process out loud.

 

“The Yakuza would never outsource to other people, it could easily lead back to them and they don’t trust anyone but themselves.”  Tetsurou had the belief that if the Yakuza had been the ones to attack them, Koutarou wouldn’t be alive right then.  Tetsurou suspected that the Agency and Yakuza had an uneasy alliance going, both were powerful players in Japan and neither wanted to provoke a full front assault from the other.  Attacking Koutarou would mean retaliation from the Agency.  Yakuza and the Agency tended to do things under the radar, they chipped away at the other secretly.  Tetsurou repeated his thoughts to Nekomata, who nodded with a laugh.

 

“You’re correct but there are those who chafe at the fact we haven’t tried to destroy the Yakuza.”  It would mean an ugly war in their own country, it would be long and bloody and there would be no winners involved.

 

“You don’t believe this had anything to do with the Yakuza.”  Tetsurou spoke up.  Nekomata’s poker face was impenetrable, but Naoi tended to show what he was thinking in his body language.  “You think this has to do with Sawamura.”

 

“I am sure you have wondered why exactly some people seem to have a grudge against your young man.”  Nekomata crossed his arms and sat back in his seat, looking all too pleased with himself.  “No doubt you have heard that it is because he has a tendency to ignore direct orders when they become inconvenient.”

 

“Or are wrong.”  Tetsurou couldn’t help himself but Nekomata laughed instead of taking offense.

 

“Who are we to decide?  Either way, opinion towards Sawamura Daichi was decided far before you even joined the Agency.  Some might say it happened when he was still a child.”  Tetsurou didn’t follow what Nekomata was talking about at all but he could see how uncomfortable Naoi was becoming at the topic of conversation.  Tetsurou was aware that Naoi most likely knew the Sawamura’s.  He had known Ukai when he was younger and Ukai had been good friends with Daichi’s father.  “You see, Sawamura Daichi’s parents were Agency members.  His father was a field agent, his mother worked mostly in the offices, it was a different time you understand.  The system we use to give each team magical artifacts and books was created by his mother.”

 

“Ishihara Maki.”  Naoi spoke up for the first time, saying Daichi’s mother's name with a quiet softness.  “The Ishihara’s were my neighbors growing up.  Everyone had been surprised when she announced she was marrying Sawamura Kazuya.”  Tetsurou didn’t know much about Daichi’s parents, but he did know their sudden death had left a gaping wound in their son that never fully healed.  Tetsurou had known that the younger Ukai had been friends with the deceased Sawamura’s, that he mourned their death, but he hadn’t realized that Naoi felt it keenly also.

 

“What does his parents have to do with anything?”  Tetsurou asked, felt something settle heavy in the pit of his stomach.  He felt like he was prying into Daichi’s past and he didn’t like that.

 

“Before their deaths they were under investigation for stealing artifacts from the Agency.”  Nekomata explained and Tetsurou took a deep breath in surprise.  “Sawamura Maki was the only one who had a full detailed list of every artifact, weapon, and book that the Agency had.  Sawamura Kazuya took a trip to his parents home right after the items were stolen and when the Agency demanded to have a look at his residence, he refused.  They were to be arrested when they got into their car accident.”  It had been the middle of winter, their car had hit some black ice and swerved, gone through a guardrail on the side of the road and slammed into a tree.  Daichi had been left waiting at a friends house for parents who would never show up.

 

“Do you think they actually stole the items?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“Does it matter?  The items are gone, they’ve never shown up on any black market or in the hands of some mad person.  The Agency has attempted to force and cajole and bribe their way onto the Sawamura land but that old man Sawamura kept them out.”  Nekomata chuckled at this, always amused.  Tetsurou looked up at Naoi who looked less amused.

 

“I didn’t know Sawamura that well but he always seemed very serious to me, dedicated to the Agency.  Ma-Ishihara was more lighthearted, she befriended everyone around her.  She came up with the organization idea because she wanted to help, to make things more efficient but she had her own ideas of right and wrong.”  Tetsurou wondered if Naoi knew his heart was in his tone, in his eyes when he spoke of Daichi’s mother.  He wondered if Naoi realized he was referring to Daichi’s mother by her maiden name, though Tetsurou knew the woman had taken her husband's name.

 

Tetsurou had noticed that Naoi found it hard to be in the same room with Daichi.  Tetsurou had assumed it was because Daichi was the spitting image of his father, and that Naoi had been close to the other man but Tetsurou thought differently now.  Perhaps Naoi found it hard to look upon Ishihara Maki’s son and see nothing of her in him, just the man that had gained her love.

 

Though from Naoi’s description of both people Tetsurou thought that Daichi sounded like a good mixture of the both of them.  Daichi had a tendency to be serious and he was quite dedicated to the Agency, to his team and those he protected but he also loved to tease others, to joke around and help people.

 

“Around the age of twenty-two various Agents had wormed their way into your Sawamura’s trust.  He allowed them into his land and they must have done something truly awful because the Spirit of that land came for them.  I believe the only thing that saved their life was your boy.  Instead of being thankful they were even alive, they took their anger out on Sawamura and took great pleasure in informing him of his parents past, and how he would never be truly accepted into the Agency.”  Something passed over Nekomata’s features, dark and dangerous but it was gone before Tetsurou could get a good look at it.

 

Not that he was looking too hard because Kai’s words were ringing in his head.

 

_“When Sawamura was twenty two he spent thirty-eight days in the medical unit, thirty-eight days out of an entire year because he was injured so often.  He’s been ordered to have five separate psych evals within the first five years of him working at the Agency.”_

 

They had gained Daichi’s trust and then crushed him.  Daichi, who had lost his parents at a young age and then his grandparents only a couple years later.  Daichi, who had only ever wanted to be in the Agency to make his parents proud and to help protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.  They had hurt the man who had very literally sacrificed himself to save the entirety of Tokyo.

 

It was no wonder that Daichi had trouble trusting people.  It was a shock that Daichi opened himself up to people at all after what he had been put through.

 

Tetsurou was furious.  He was angry at the people who had hurt Daichi, _his_ Daichi with his wide smiles and deep laugh.  He was frustrated that people held Daichi accountable for something his parents might or might not have done over two decades prior.  Tetsurou was also angry that he wasn’t learning all of this from Daichi himself.  Tetsurou loved that Daichi trusted him, that the other man had begun to reveal himself piece by broken piece to Tetsurou over their year of dating and knowing each other.  Tetsurou had looked forward to finding out everything he could about Daichi, he had known it would take years but that had sounded perfect to him.  He wanted to know Daichi for years, to know him for decades and to still learn new things about him.

 

But those options were taken away from him because someone was using Daichi as a pawn.  Something to distract those stupid enough to fall for it.  But distract from what exactly?  Tetsurou had new information but there were still too many unanswered questions.

 

Tetsurou pushed away his anger because there was nothing he could do about it at that moment.  Getting angry at Nekomata and Naoi wouldn’t help, they were giving him more information whether or not he liked that information was a different story.

 

“We thought it would be a good idea for you to have all the information going into this, instead of going in blind.”  Nekomata said with another grin before standing up and turning to Naoi.  “You have about two minutes.”  Then the older man walked away.

 

Tetsurou had thought he had seen the older man put up a barrier but it had been such a small movement of his hand that he hadn’t been sure.  Most barriers were meant to keep something inside of it and this one would be no different.  No one would be able to overhear or even see clearly into it.

 

Naoi took a seat on the side of Tetsurou’s bed before pulling out a piece of folded up paper from inside his jacket.  Tetsurou took it, unfolded it and stared down at the drawings.  They were rather crude but efficient.  Three pieces of a twisted rod, a stone with a swirl inside, and two thick pieces of metal that seemed to help connect the rod together.

 

“These pieces by themselves are powerful, but together they only have one purpose.  It can rip holes in this world and lets the user control whatever it pulls forth from those holes.”  Tetsurou sucked in a deep breath at that thought.  Demon was really a blanket term for anything that didn’t come from this world, the same way Fae referred to any creature that was close to human but clearly not.  If the staff could control demons then it was highly dangerous.

 

“This is what the Sawamura’s stole?”  Tetsurou asked, looking up into Naoi’s dark eyes.

 

“What we stole, yes.”  Naoi smiled but it wasn’t his normal easy-going one.  This one was full of sharp edges.  “Ishihara came up with the idea to spread out all the items the Agency had to yes, help each team but also so that these powerful items wouldn’t be all in the same place.  She did a large amount of research about each item, wrote everything down and that was when she discovered this item.  She pushed to have it destroyed for no good would come of it.  The staff can’t control demons already in this world, it can only control those it pulls from other realms.  The council denied her request, they thought splitting the pieces up would be enough of a deterrent.”

 

Except it clearly wasn’t if this was what the person breaking into each Sections building was looking for.

 

“How do you know this is what they are looking for?”  Tetsurou asked, though he wanted to know how Naoi got involved but he knew they were under a time restraint.

 

“I don’t, but I know the bottom part of the staff was in Bokuto’s room.  Fukurodani is one of the original teams and it hasn’t changed hands since then.”  Naoi took the paper back and folded it up once again.  “Ishihara took the stone and I’m sure she asked Sawamura to hide it on his land somewhere.  You need to be prepared for what is to come if this is the item the person is looking for.  They obviously have some connection to the Agency to know how we operate, and you are possibly one of the closest people to Sawamura.”  If they couldn’t get Daichi to agree to hand over the stone then they might try to go through Tetsurou, that’s what Naoi was warning him about.

 

“Does the Agency know you were involved?”  Tetsurou asked causing Naoi to grin.

 

“No, they also aren’t aware that Keishin was involved either.”  Naoi clapped his hand on Tetsurou’s shoulder, signaling the barrier had dropped without saying so.  “Rest up, you shouldn’t have to answer anymore questions today.  You’ll also take tomorrow off to recover.”  Recover Tetsurou’s ass, Naoi was giving him the opportunity to do a little research without having to deal with the Agency.

 

“Thank you.”  Tetsurou nodded and watched Naoi walk out of the medical unit.  He wondered if Naoi had been in love with Daichi’s mother romantically, or if he felt the same way Tetsurou did about Kenma.  If Kenma asked Tetsurou to break the rules and steal something Tetsurou would do it without hesitation.

 

Tetsurou laid back down and closed his eyes.  If they were after the pieces of the staff then it was possible they already had two.  It would mean that Naoi was right, and someone from the Agency had to be involved.  Someone with a lot of knowledge and access to every team's records.  It also meant that they would would need access to the Sawamura land to get the stone.  Tetsurou was well aware of Daichi’s weaknesses, knew the quickest way to get the stone was to threaten someone Daichi loved.  The thing was everyone who was close to Daichi was capable of taking care of themselves.  Even the juniors on team Karasuno had grown up quite a bit since they had joined and they were constantly surrounded by the more senior members of the team.  There was also Terushima, but he had Ushijima looking out for him and a rather powerful bodyguard.

 

Tetsurou almost groaned out loud when he realized it wasn’t just people close to Daichi they could threaten to get the stone.  They could literally pick up a stranger off the street and threaten to harm or kill them and Daichi would hand over the stone.  If Daichi knew where the stone was.  He was only ten when his parents died, Tetsurou doubted his mother would have shared that information with her only son knowing how dangerous it could be.

 

Then again Tetsurou didn’t know Daichi’s mother at all or what kind of person she was.  Besides the point that she managed to convince three men into helping her despite the risk to their careers.  Ukai Keishin even quit the Agency after the Sawamura’s deaths.  Tetsurou had never made the connection before, he always just believed Ukai chafed at the authority the Agency held over them but now he wasn’t too sure.

 

This time Tetsurou did groan out loud because his head was killing him and he was just met with more questions.

 

“That’s a familiar noise.”  Tetsurou looked over in surprise to see Suga walking towards him with his ever present amiable smile with Yaku following close behind, frown firmly in place.  Lev was only just a few paces behind them.  “What has Daichi done now?”  Suga asked.

 

“Not his fault.”  Tetsurou grunted out as he forced himself to sit up once more.  It really wasn’t Daichi’s fault for all of this, but he had been dragged into it anyways.  “How did you get here?  I thought everyone was on lockdown.”

 

“I am a med mage, lockdowns mean nothing to us.”  Suga answered airily before sitting on the edge of Tetsurou’s bed.  Suga held his right hand up, let it hover right over Tetsurou’s right temple and he almost immediately felt the cooling effect of Suga’s magic.  “They are holding your flowers at the front desk, apparently they are very suspicious.”

 

“Flowers?”  Tetsurou asked before remembering how he had demanded flowers from Daichi, and he let out a laugh.

 

“Yes, apparently I’m an errand boy.”  Suga said, mock annoyance lacing his voice.  “Now lay back down and let me see that arm of yours.”  Tetsurou meekly obeyed the other man while wondering what type of flowers Daichi had picked out for him and how Tetsurou would protect Daichi from whoever might be after the staff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short! Next chapter we get to meet Mama Kuroo!
> 
> Thank you **audriel** for editing this chapter!


	6. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Cat Who Isn't a Cat

“So you’ve been ordered to bedrest too?”  Tetsurou asked as he followed Koutarou further into his flat after removing his shoes.  Koutarou laughed because neither of them would be doing much bed rest no matter who ordered them about.

 

“It was _suggested_ I used up some of my vacation days to fully heal.”  Koutarou’s eye roll showed what he thought about that but he led Tetsurou to his bedroom, where a duffel bag was sitting open on the bed.  For most people who knew Koutarou, him being spotless was a huge surprise.  Not for Tetsurou, who knew of Koutarou’s family life.  How the other man had forced himself to be as neat as possible to try and win some kind of affection from his parents.

 

Thinking about Koutarou’s parents always put Tetsurou in a foul mood so he shoved that aside.

 

“Akaashi said we should take the time to go visit his parents.”  Koutarou took a shirt out of his closet, turned it this way and that before putting it back in.  If Tetsurou was packing his room would have been a sea of clothing at that point.  It wouldn’t be the first time Koutarou had met Akaashi’s parents, but it probably would be the first extended stay and Koutarou was clearly nervous about it.

 

“Akaashi said they liked you, didn’t he?”  And Akaashi wasn’t one to exaggerate, even to spare someone’s feelings.  If Akaashi’s parents hadn’t liked Koutarou, Akaashi would have told the other man the truth, though in a very circumvent way.

 

“Yeah,” But Koutarou was still staring into his closet without really pulling anything out, his duffel bag still sat empty on the bed.  Koutarou came from a very broken home, his parents had been unhappily married and then bitterly divorced.  They married other people, had children with those people and those children had been taught to treat Koutarou with the same contempt that his own parents had for him.  Tetsurou couldn’t remember which child it was that said it, but he remembered Koutarou drunkenly telling him once that one of his siblings had once told him that Koutarou was the type of person everyone liked upon first meeting but the more they got to know him, the less they liked him.

 

Tetsurou hated Koutarou’s family.  Though he never said a negative thing about them because it would only hurt big hearted Koutarou.

 

“Hey, it’s been like six years of you knowing Akaashi?”  Tetsurou asked as he nudged Koutarou out of the way to flip through the clothing hanging up.  “He didn’t like you at the beginning, remember that face he always got when you’d scream his name down the hall?”

 

“Yeah it was great.”  Koutarou laughed.  It’s a bit of a lie that Akaashi didn’t like Koutarou from the beginning.  Akaashi might have been a bit annoyed by Koutarou’s enthusiastic and never-ceasing energy, but Tetsurou was almost positive that Akaashi was the one who had fallen first, and fallen hard.  Tetsurou didn’t blame Akaashi, Koutarou was an easy one to love despite how he might feel otherwise.

 

“Hey Kou, if I described something could you tell me if it was in your vault or not?”  Tetsurou asked as he began folding the clothes he took out of the closet to put into the duffel bag.  Koutarou sat in the middle of the bed and listened to Tetsurou’s description of the object.

 

“That, I had something like that.”  Koutarou looked up, squinting slightly.  “It could control someone's body but only for about five minutes, less if the user were weaker.  Washio, Komi, and I went through that whole vault when I first was promoted to the leadership position.  The victim were still completely conscious when it was used and it left behind this _wrongness_.”  Koutarou didn’t ask why Tetsurou was asking about it, knew that some things were classified but this wasn’t.

 

“I think it might be apart of a bigger staff.”  Tetsurou had already requested a meeting with Nakama from Section Two.  He wasn’t sure whose office had been broken into so he thought the best bet was to meet up with her, give her a description of the staff pieces and let her ask the other team leader about it.  “Something dangerous that someone along time ago went to a lot of trouble to make sure no one could ever assemble it properly.”  Koutarou crossed his legs and nodded slowly.

 

“But it’s possible they now have two pieces of it?”  At least two pieces.  Nakama had even admitted that without the team leaders heightened senses, no one would have known that an object had been taken and replaced.  It also sounded like the staff was of black magic, if the certain _wrong_ feeling Koutarou had felt was anything to go by.  Black, Blood, or Death magic didn’t effect Tetsurou in the same way it did everyone else.

 

“Don’t give me that look, I have a team full of clucking hens at me.”  Tetsurou tossed a shirt at Koutarou who easily batted it away.  “And I’m not even on duty today either.”

 

“For someone not on duty you’re doing an awful lot of investigating.”  Koutarou rolled off the edge of the bed, gracefully landing on his feet before going into the connecting bathroom.

 

“Asking one question is not an awful lot of investigating!”  Tetsurou shouted out.  “Don’t forget condoms, protection is important.”  Tetsurou said just to change the topic, but he heard something heavy fall from the bathroom.  “You two still haven’t done it?”

 

“S-shut up!  Your hair is stupid!”  Koutarou yells back, more things fell to the tiled floor.  Tetsurou cackled from his spot in the bedroom.

  
  
  


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“Odd how one bookcase turned into two and a tv stand.”  Tetsurou teased his mother with a smirk as he kneeled on the ground, putting the first bookcase together.  About every nine months she decided to completely redo one room of the house, with the exception of his old room.  Even if he hadn’t lived with her for over a decade she never touched that room.

 

“Strange how that happens, hm?”  Kuroo Yui teased Tetsurou right back.  Honestly if his mother didn’t weasel some sort of physical labor out of him when he visited he would have been worried.  “You could just wait until Daichi comes, it would be easier with the two of you.”  Tetsurou turned to give his mother a flat look because he couldn’t even argue.  Daichi was clearly better at that sort of thing.

 

“I’m sure I can finish this before he comes over for dinner.”  Tetsurou dubiously eyed the little bag of flat screws.  “Plus you can’t make him do chores, he’s not your son.”

 

“Not yet.”  Yui said as she sat down on her new chair which, thankfully, came pre-assembled.

 

“Ma.”  Tetsurou groaned, not wanting to have this conversation.

 

“You still haven’t told him?”  Yui asked, though she clearly knew the answer.

 

“There’s nothing to tell.”  Tetsurou insisted.

 

“It’s unlike you to keep something from him.”  Which was true.  Tetsurou was an open book where Daichi was concerned but this was different.

 

Tetsurou didn’t believe in soulmates.  He knew Daichi and him were compatible and they had gotten along fairly quickly due to strenuous situations.  Also Tetsurou very literally had a piece of Daichi’s soul attached to his but he still didn’t buy the idea of soulmates.  Tetsurou and Daichi had to work for what they had.  His disbelief made it difficult for Tetsurou to think about being bound to someone.  It was something that happened with demons, similar to how werewolves had mates.  Yui believed Tetsurou had bonded with Daichi.

 

“If he dies-”  Tetsurou cut his mother off, which he never did.

 

“Whether or not I’ve bonded to him I will feel the same way if he dies.”  Devastated.  Just thinking about it made Tetsurou’s stomach clench painfully.  Yui was worried because she knew what it was like to have a bonded ripped away from them.  She continued with her own life, because the world didn’t stop when someone died but she was still heartbroken over twenty years later.  Forever restless, searching for something she had lost.

 

It wasn’t something that they talked about often.  It upset Yui to speak of it and Tetsurou had never had any interest in what it meant to bond with someone.  But she had made it clear what it would be like.  Demons weren’t driven to protective instincts like werewolves over their mates, which was good because Daichi wouldn’t stand for someone trying to keep him out of   harm's way.

 

It was difficult for Tetsurou.  He loved many people.  He loved his mother, his team, and Koutarou.  But despite having dated quite often, especially when he was in college, he never really found himself _in love_ with another person.  How was he supposed to know what feelings were him being in love with Daichi and what were his demonic bonding feelings?

 

“Tetsurou.”  Yui sighed as she leaned forward to run her fingers through his thick hair.  Tetsurou sighed and leaned back, looking upside down at his mom.  “What are you really worried about?”

 

Daichi knew Tetsurou was a demon, it was practically the first thing Daichi had learned about him.  They had a couple discussions about it but Tetsurou would admit he tiptoed around the topic most of the time.  Daichi was true and good, and demons were not really thought as either of those things.  Tetsurou knew that Daichi wouldn’t leave him over it, but part of him wondered if Daichi knew all the dark details about what Tetsurou really was then he might have second thoughts.

 

Being a werewolf's mate was being put first before all others, to be loved and protected.  Having a demon bonded to them?  Who in their right mind would want that?

 

Tetsurou was saved by a knock at the door.  Yui tapped his nose to let him know he wasn’t off the hook, that the conversation was just postponed, but that was fine with him.

 

 

Several hours later Tetsurou was arguing about a piece of wood with Tooru.  They had managed to get the two bookshelves together with minimum splinters and curse words but the tv stand was giving them a hard time.  It didn’t help that Tooru insisted the wood in Tetsurou’s hands was the base, while Tetsurou was positive it was a shelf.

 

“It’s too short to be a shelf!”  Tooru tried to yank the board out of Tetsurou’s hands.

 

“You’re too short!”  Tetsurou shouted back.  Tooru gasped dramatically, he was still angry that Tetsurou had a couple centimeters on him.  Tooru cried foul, saying Tetsurou’s hair gave him several centimeters.

 

“Send me that when you’re done Daichi.”  Yui requested, causing Tetsurou and Tooru to turn and see Daichi standing in the entrance to the living room and holding his phone up, recording them both.

 

“How long have you been there?”  Tetsurou asked at the same time Tooru demanded to know who Daichi was sending the video too.

 

“Hajime says you’re both idiots, that it’s neither a shelf nor a base.”  Daichi grinned as he typed something back, chuckling down at his phone before sliding it into his back pocket.

 

“Dinner will be ready in about fifteen, please help them before they break something.”  Yui rubbed Daichi’s back before making her way towards the kitchen.  Daichi walked over and Tetsurou beamed up at him, letting go of the piece of wood and watching Tooru fall onto his ass because of it.

 

“Mature.”  Daichi commented as he gently brushed Tetsurou’s hair away from his face.  Tetsurou knew he was looking at the cut on his temple, the green and yellow bruise surrounding it.  Thanks to Suga it hardly looked like anything now, it would be fully healed in a couple more days.  His arm would take longer but Suga had given him a salve to put on both wounds.

 

“Hello handsome,” Tetsurou greeted, leaning up and silently requesting a kiss.  Daichi smiled and brushed his lips against Tetsurou’s in a chaste kiss.

 

“Gross.”  Tooru grumbled out.  “Gross!”  He repeated louder when they only kissed once more in response.

 

“I don’t remember asking for a brother.”  Tetsurou lamented, still staring up into Daichi’s brown eyes.  There were light circles beneath them, which wasn’t all that surprising.  More than likely Daichi had spent the past night at the office instead of going home to sleep.  Tetsurou had to stay in the medical unit under observation for the night.

 

“Maybe you should go help in the kitchen.”  Daichi offered as he knelt down and started pulling pieces of the tv stand into some semblance of order.

 

“I’ll go, Tetsu’s useless in the kitchen.”  Tooru sniffed, putting his nose in the air as he got up and went to the kitchen.  Tooru wasn’t completely wrong.  Tetsurou could cook but he found it mind-numbingly boring and tended to get distracted, then burnt things.

 

Ever since Tetsurou had introduced Tooru to Kuroo Yui, Tooru spent a good amount of time visiting her.  Tetsurou didn’t mind, he had never been a greedy kid and was even less so as an adult.  Tooru had been adopted by two loving and supportive parents when he was just a baby.  The problem was they were completely human and Tooru was a demon.  Not knowing what he was and having no one to go to for answers, Tooru grew up despising himself.  Tetsurou was positive if it weren’t for Iwaizumi Hajime befriending a small Tooru then things could have gone a lot worse.

 

Tooru saw Tetsurou and himself as equals, so it was difficult for him to take advice from Tetsurou without bristling about it.  His lack of knowledge about demons was a sore spot and he was bitter that Tetsurou knew so much more than him.  Yui was seen as an adult figure, even if they were both over the age of 30, and therefore was a neutral party.  Yui was slowly helping Tooru come to terms about being a demon, helping him mold his instincts into something productive and less destructive.

 

“Yuuji isn’t going to be home.”  Daichi spoke softly, already he had the barebones of the stand assembled without any hardship.

 

“Big tub?”  Tetsurou asked hopefully and then cheered when Daichi nodded with a grin.  Terushima Yuuji had a gigantic tub in his bathroom that he let them use when he wasn’t home.  Due to Tetsurou’s height, bathing was difficult since his long legs never fit comfortably in a tub.  Daichi would rather just shower, but he knew how much Tetsurou enjoyed a good soak.

 

They all had dinner together and Tetsurou found himself studying Daichi, thinking over what his mother said before.  Not about being bonded, but about something much more human.  Marriage.  Marriage had never been a thought to Tetsurou.  He could never allow himself to marry someone who didn’t know what he was and he had been fine with that.

 

Tetsurou could see himself marrying Daichi.  It would be a small ceremony, maybe on the Sawamura land.  Tetsurou found himself liking the idea of having matching wedding bands with Daichi.  Simple and gold.

 

There were so many problems left to solve before Tetsurou could properly think of marriage though.  However, the problem with the Agency was, there would always be more problems.

 

“Take care of my son,” Yui ordered, it’s not a request as she held Daichi’s face between her hands gently.  She was as tall as Tetsurou, though far more willowy.

 

“Yes ma’am.”  Daichi promised, receiving a kiss on his forehead for it before they were all ushered out of the house.

 

Oikawa left in his own car, while Tetsurou climbed into the passenger seat of Daichi’s.  It was a large van, big enough to fit the entirety of Karasuno and rather ridiculous for Tokyo roads.  But Tetsurou’s mother lived out in the suburbs of Tokyo and they would have to take a bus and two trains to get back to Daichi’s flat, which Tetsurou took to get out there.

 

“Are we going to talk about what’s been bothering you all night now or later?”  Daichi looked over at Tetsurou with a grin, giving him an opening because they both knew it was something unpleasant if Tetsurou was unwilling to bring it up in front of his mother and Tooru.

 

“Nekomata and Naoi talked to me yesterday.”  Tetsurou repeated what was told to him, carefully watching every one of Daichi’s expressions.  He didn’t seem too surprised about anything, even the part where Naoi was involved in the thievery.

 

“You’re going to talk with Nakama tomorrow?”  Daichi asked before nodding to himself.

 

“Yes, to make sure.”  Tetsurou shifted in his seat.  “Have you ever found part of the staff in your house?”

 

“No, but I’ve never gone searching for it either.”  Daichi’s hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

 

“Just because they did that doesn’t make them bad people Daichi.”  Tetsurou wondered if anyone had bothered to tell Daichi that.  Honestly there were plenty of things that the Agency had in their vaults that Tetsurou thought would be better off completely destroying.

 

“But I don’t really know, do I?  They died when I was 10 and the stories I’ve heard aren’t exactly flattering.”  Daichi tried to shrug off his tension, but failed miserably at it.  “That’s not important.  If there’s part of it on my family's land then it’s most likely safe enough there.”

 

“It is important.”  Tetsurou cut off Daichi when he went to interject.  “I may not have known your parents but I know you and I know people who did know them.  Do you know Naoi never was promoted from a first position field agent?  He is barely called out onto assignments but there’s no anger or resentment in him.  He helped me when I first entered the Agency, he taught me a lot and he’s a key part as to why Nekoma runs so smoothly.  He’s not perfect, no one is, but the way he talked about your mom.  No one who is a bad person is talked about like that.  He didn’t much like your dad but it was clear that was for more personal reasons, that he still respected him.”  Tension slowly left Daichi for real as Tetsurou continued to speak.

 

“I hero worshipped them Tetsu,” Daichi admitted softly.  “They were my everything.  I wanted to be apart of the Agency because of them and after they died- it was like I had a connection to them.  I could go to the Academy where my dad went, take the same classes he took.  I could get into the Agency where they met, where they worked together.  I worked so hard and for so long just to be told they were dishonorably discharged after their deaths.  Their names are black marked in the records, they don’t even have their picture up on the wall.”  Everyone who worked for the Agency, whether they died in the field or not, had their picture up on a wall after their death.

 

Tetsurou was unsure of what to say, which was a new one for him.  He didn’t know Daichi’s parents, what kind of people they were though they obviously were good parents and loved Daichi.  Tetsurou knew Daichi had been a carefree kid before his parents death and then he had tried to be something more than a kid, more than a teenager so he wouldn’t be a burden to his grandparents.  He had forced himself to grow up quickly, to be mature and not cause any waves.  He studied hard, he worked himself even harder but made sure to take care of himself so no one would worry for him.  As a young adult he had been full of hope entering the Agency, until slowly piece by piece of that hope was taken away.  They tore at him and in his mourning he had become reckless and selfish.  But Daichi had pulled himself together, he made sure to train his team hard but he also made sure they took care of themselves, that they had a save place and everything they needed.

 

Tetsurou couldn’t imagine any parent being disappointed if they had a son like Daichi, but that wouldn’t help him now.

 

“Have you ever asked Ukai about them?  About your parents?”  The Ukai’s and Sawamura’s went way back but it was really Ukai Keishin and Daichi’s father who close friends.  Close enough that Ukai left the Agency after his death, that he only came back to protect Daichi.

 

“No.”  Daichi pulled the van into Section Five’s parking lot.  Terushima and Daichi’s place was close by so it would be a simple walk.  “At the funeral Ukai said losing my dad was like losing a piece of himself, he started drinking and smoking a lot after that.  I don’t want to make him go back to that place.”

 

Tetsurou reached out and cupped Daichi’s cheek, let out a relieved sigh when Daichi turned into the touch, closing his eyes.  Tetsurou had a feeling that Daichi really had no idea how much Ukai loved him, how much Ukai thought of the younger man as his own son.  Tetsurou didn’t know Ukai well, but he strongly believed that he would be happy to talk about Daichi’s parents with him.

 

“Let’s go home.”  Daichi said softly, getting out of the van and Tetsurou followed close behind.  Tetsurou put his arm around Daichi’s shoulder, tugging him close to himself.

 

“Perfect pocket sized boyfriend.”  Tetsurou got an elbow in the side for that one but really it was worth it to see the dark look in Daichi’s eyes disappear.

  
  
  


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“You know you’re supposed to actually put some effort into cleaning yourself.”  Daichi said from behind Tetsurou.  Tetsurou let out a hum of contentment as he settled more firmly against Daichi’s firm chest.  He wasn’t sure how he convinced Daichi to take a bath with him, but he wasn’t going to complain.

 

“I can’t, my arms are too weak.”  Tetsurou flapped his arms out of the water uselessly before settling them back on Daichi’s legs.  “I was just hospitalized, didn’t you know?  I got blown up.”

 

“Poor baby.”  Daichi deadpanned but he moved aside Tetsurou’s wet hair, looking at the cut surrounded by a fading bruise.  Tetsurou felt a sigh against his temple before feather soft kisses were placed along his shoulder.  Tetsurou had felt relaxed before but he felt positively boneless as he tilted his head to the side to give Daichi more skin to work with.

 

“I don’t see how that is going to help me get clean,” Tetsurou mumbled before he felt the sharp edge of Daichi’s teeth against his neck, making him groan before he could even think of repressing it.  The deep chuckle against his neck did quite a few things to Tetsurou’s state of mind also.

 

“If Yuuji finds out we did anything in his bath he’ll never let you in here again.”  Daichi reminded Tetsurou, who thought it might just be worth it but the choice was taken away from him when Daichi pushed himself out of the water and sat up on the tubs lip.  Tetsurou thought about complaining before he realized he was between Daichi’s thighs, which really wasn’t a bad place to be.  “Mind out of the gutter.”

 

“I was just minding my own business, you were the one starting something.”  Tetsurou put his nose in the air like he really minded what Daichi had started.  He didn’t, of course not.  They were hardly afforded a night to themselves and he was okay with whatever Daichi wanted to do with him or to him.

 

“No one would believe you.”  Daichi said with a sharp grin before beginning to work some shampoo into Tetsurou’s hair.  Calloused fingers worked carefully through the black strands and all Tetsurou’s teasing words went out the window.

 

“You play dirty.”  Tetsurou said as he closed his eyes.

 

“You said you were too weak to clean yourself.”  Daichi reminded him, clever fingers working through the knots in Tetsurou’s neck.  “Are your eyes closed?”  Tetsurou hummed an affirmative before Daichi was using the detachable shower head to wash the shampoo out of his hair.

 

This was what Tetsurou had a hard time communicating with his friends about.  Tetsurou might take care of Daichi in a lot of aspects but it was by no means a one way street.  Daichi had worked a full day, he had helped put together furniture for Tetsurou’s mom and then had helped finish cooking and did dishes afterwards.  The start of dark circles underneath his eyes told everyone that he was tired.  He could have showered and gone to bed, taken care of himself.  Daichi didn’t even enjoy baths but he had shared one with Tetsurou.  Had allowed him time to soak up the warmth of the water and now was cleaning him, even though they both were fully aware that Tetsurou contained the strength to clean himself.

 

Daichi didn’t feel like he had to take care of Tetsurou.  Neither of them had to take care of the other.  They had survived almost 30 years without the other person but they liked to take care of the other.  Daichi liked to cook meals for Tetsurou, liked taking baths with Tetsurou just because Tetsurou enjoyed it.  The same way Tetsurou liked listening to Daichi’s problems, even if he couldn’t find a solution he liked being that person for Daichi.

 

They got out of the tub together, Daichi leaning over to unplug it and let the water drain and Tetsurou standing back to admire the view.

 

“What?”  Daichi asked as he stood up, grabbing a towel to put around his waist as Tetsurou watched small droplets of water trace a path down Daichi’s torso.

 

“Just-” Tetsurou took a deep breath and looked heavenward.  “Feeling so blessed.”

 

“Unbelievable.”  Daichi grabbed another towel, tossing it over his head to dry his hair but not before Tetsurou saw the pink in his cheeks.

 

“Did you sleep at the office last night?”  Tetsurou asked, following Daichi out of the bathroom with his own towel around his waist and another hanging over his shoulders.  Tetsurou knew if he gave it long enough Daichi would grab the towel and insist he dry Tetsurou’s hair.

 

“No, I came home but I couldn’t really sleep.”  Daichi shrugged as he walked into the kitchen.  Normally they didn’t walk around in their towels, but Terushima wasn’t due back so they let themselves relax a little.

 

“I can think of a few physical activities that would wear you out.”  Tetsurou offered with a smirk.

 

“We just showered, why would I want to go running?”  Daichi offered as he set the coffee machine for the next morning, so they would have coffee waiting when they woke up.  He then turned and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest and grinning right back at Tetsurou.

 

“Not running.”  Tetsurou said, playing along as he took a step closer to Daichi.

 

“Sparring?”  Daichi asked, tilting his head.

 

“Close.”  Tetsurou took another step, brushed up against Daichi and let his smirk grow a little wider as he looked down at him.

 

“But you were just hospitalized, remember?  You’re so very weak, couldn’t even clean yourself.”  Daichi pulled the towel off of Tetsurou’s neck before placing it over his hair, careful not to rub too hard as he dried the tallers hair.

 

“I guess I’ll just have to lay back-”

 

“-and take it?”  

 

“And let you do all the work.”  Daichi laughed, a warm and low sound that made Tetsurou instinctively lean down closer.

 

“How’s that any different than usual?”  Daichi asked.

 

“I can’t believe you’re treating me like this when I’m just trying to help you, my dear beloved boyfriend.”  Tetsurou placed a hand on his chest, mock affronted.

 

“Help me my dear beloved boyfriend my ass.”  Daichi grumbled, though his smile was still in place.

 

“No no Daichi-”

 

“Don’t saying it.”

 

“My ass.”  Daichi groaned as he placed his forehead on Tetsurou’s  chest.  Tetsurou cackled a little.

 

“That’s it, you’ve ruined it forever, I will never be sexually interested in anything ever again.”  Daichi said with a small shake of his head.

 

“I think I can give you _a hand_ with that.”  Tetsurou cackled more as Daichi groaned.

 

“This is the weirdest form of foreplay.”  Daichi started to push Tetsurou towards their bedroom.

 

“Yeah but it works, right?”  Tetsurou asked, smirking over his shoulder.

 

“Absolutely not.”  Daichi said in a flat tone.

 

“Well if that’s not working then I can-”

 

“For the love of everything, just lay down and put your face in a pillow.”

 

“Is that how we’re doing this?  Kinky Daichi.”  Daichi’s deep chuckle was enough to get Tetsurou to start laughing along.

  
  
  


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Tetsurou woke up to the feeling of something being off.  He reached out instinctively for Daichi, thinking perhaps he had a nightmare he couldn’t remember.  Nightmares came with being a field agent, sometimes a person saw some truly messed up things and they stuck with them.  But Tetsurou’s wandering hand only found empty bed and blankets.  The spot next to him was cold and devoid of any sign that Daichi had slept there.  Tetsurou even had the blankets wrapped around himself, which most of the time Daichi prevented him from doing.

 

Tetsurou slowly untangled himself.  His limbs felt heavy, his mind slowly chugging along throwing complaints that they shouldn’t be up.  He knew he had only gotten a couple hours of sleep, it was still dark out after all.

 

Daichi always made sure that Tetsurou put on his sleep clothes before he fell asleep.  Most of the time he grumbled about it but then during the night he would wake up freezing.  Tetsurou always slept cold and it seemed the older he got, the easier it was for him to get cold.  He would then wake up Daichi with cold toes and fingers in places that no cold digits should ever be.  After that happening one too many times Daichi would dress a limp Tetsurou.  Tetsurou rather enjoyed the aftercare, the fact that Daichi thought about Tetsurou’s comfort even after they were both exhausted was enough to make him warm all over.

 

Tetsurou tended to be a bit of a sap when he first woke up and that sap needed Daichi.

 

Tetsurou wrapped the blankets back around him once he had managed to stand up and shuffled out to the living room.  The light made his eyes hurt as he looked around without opening them all the way.  Daichi was sitting on the floor of the living room, the tv turned down to the lowest setting but Tetsurou knew it was just background noise and Daichi wasn’t paying attention to anything on it.  The coffee table was set up with books and papers, along with Daichi’s beat up old laptop.  Tetsurou had tried to convince Daichi to buy a new one, the 8-year-old laptop chugged along at a snail's pace, but Daichi refused.

 

“Sorry, did I wake you?”  Daichi asked, body turned towards Tetsurou as soon as he heard the taller man shuffle out of their bedroom.

 

“Yes.”  Tetsurou was sure he grumbled something else out, probably along the lines of Daichi preferring to do work out in the living room instead of sleeping with his boyfriend as he made his way over to the couch Daichi was leaning back against.  Tetsurou laid down on the couch, scooting down until he could bury his face in between Daichi’s shoulder blades.  Daichi always smelled of the woods, the woods surrounding the Sawamura land to be specific.  Earthy and deep with just the hint of warm magic.

 

“What does earthy mean?”  Daichi asked as he reached back to run his fingers lightly through Tetsurou’s hair.  Tetsurou hadn’t realized he had said anything out loud but it hardly mattered then because he was quickly falling back asleep.

  
  
  


\--------------------

  
  
  


Tetsurou woke up fully a few hours later.  He had probably managed to scrape together about six hours of sleep, which meant Daichi got a whole lot less since he was still up and working when Tetsurou pushed himself into a sitting position right as the sun was peaking above the horizon.

 

“It’s only two days on bad sleep.”  Daichi reassured Tetsurou, and he was glad Daichi had not told him to not worry.  From what Tetsurou had seen it was more like two days on no sleep but the dark circles underneath Daichi’s eyes were only a little more pronounced and Tetsurou knew they had both gotten less sleep before so he let it go.  “I’ll grab a nap at work around lunch.”

 

Tetsurou spread out his own work, pulling up a backlog of reports on his computer that he had been putting off for a while now.  Daichi was clearly done with his own reports and was slowly working his way through drawing a complicated looking sigil on several sheets of tracing paper.  Drawing a sigil whole would make that sigil complete, and it was inevitable that a piece or portion would be drawn wrong the first couple of times.  Completed sigils done incorrectly lead to disastrous results, so people trained themselves with tracing paper layered on top of each other.

 

It showed the major difference between the two of them and their academic training.  Tetsurou was a demon, he didn’t just use magic, he was made of magic.  It was there at his fingertips without the use of any kind of incantation, sigil, or anything else.  He had taken a couple magic classes during college, mostly under the influence of Koutarou, but none of them really seem to apply to him.  They mostly talked about magic in very human terms.

 

Daichi had been taught the basics and a little more at the Academy, but had never really used them.  Most people using sigils carried around a piece of chalk, sometimes heavy cardstock and a pen.  There were a few, like Akaashi and Kageyama, who could draw sigils in their air just using a finger but that was dangerous.

 

Tetsurou looked over the spines of two heavy looking books, knew they were both full of sigils and that Daichi had used small pieces of paper to mark the best ones.  Kageyama was a different kind of monster from any Tetsurou had known.  He had this drive and hunger to devour any sort of helpful information he could.  Kageyama’s magic put him in the top percentile at the Academy and the Agency, but his attitude had made him near impossible to work with.

 

Daichi had been thrown Kageyama the way he had most of the delinquents thrown at him.  Despite all the red marks in his file, Daichi had seen past the angry young man Kageyama had become to what he could be.  What he was now, several years after officially joining Karasuno.  Kageyama still had his moments, the ones where he shouted and yelled, confused as to why no one could keep up with him.  Kageyama didn’t see himself as any sort of genius, but he was born with a high magic capacity that very few people can keep up with.

 

“Look at you, making sure your angry little son can learn something new.”  Tetsurou teased as Daichi stretched out his back and rubbed at his eye underneath his glasses.  Tetsurou loved those thick rimmed glasses, was sad that Daichi didn’t wear them more often.  There was just something about Daichi that was beautiful.  His hair was a bit of a fluffy mess after their previous activities during the night and most likely running his hands through his hair multiple times as he worked through his reports.  He looked tired but content.  His dark skin a nice contrast to the white of his shirt, loose around his stomach but tight around his shoulders.

 

“More like trying to keep him busy, whenever he’s not occupied him and Tsukishima seem to fight more often.”  Daichi put his pencil down to stretch out his hands.  Tsukishima and Kageyama didn’t fight as often as they had at first, despite trying to act like nothing affected him Tsukishima had been every bit as angry as Kageyama had been when they first entered the Agency, though for different reasons.  

 

“What?”  Daichi asked with a smile and that was when Tetsurou had realized he had been staring.

 

“I was just thinking about how handsome you are.”  Tetsurou grinned when Daichi immediately averted his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to hide the rising blush.  It was not as if Daichi wasn't confident in himself, he knew he was capable and he believed he wasn't bad looking but he didn't believe he was anything special.

 

Tetsurou glanced down at Daichi’s bag between them, seeing the spine of a third book peeking out in the folds.  Tetsurou pulled it out, felt almost the immediate need to wash his hands.

 

“That’s not a good face.”  Daichi leaned back against the couch behind them as he studied Tetsurou’s face then looked down at the book.  “That was in my bag when I left work yesterday.  I’m still trying to figure out if it was meant to be helpful or harmful.”  Because it was a book of black magic written on, what Tetsurou was sure, was human skin and written in blood.  Being around such a book could cause a person without magical defenses to slowly lose their mind, become violent to themselves or others.  Tetsurou couldn’t read the writing but he knew it was old.  The magic slid off Tetsurou the way most black magic did.

 

“Why would-” Tetsurou stopped when he turned another page to see the drawing of the staff, fully assembled.  He turned another page to see a carved out circle.

 

“It’s a summoning circle, apparently the staff can boost the power of it and pull forth countless demons.”  Daichi explained and Tetsurou looked up.  Daichi smiled a little.  “It’s Cyrillic Script.”

 

“Which you know how to read?”  Tetsurou was pleasantly surprised to learn a new piece of information about Daichi, not from anyone else but from the man himself.

 

“A little, some slavic countries are the only ones who allow the free use of dark magic.”  Daichi had more brushes with black magic than most people.  It had left him feeling useless and unprepared, two things Daichi did not appreciate feeling.  It wasn’t all that surprising that he then reached out to those who could perform and study black magic to learn from it, despite it being illegal in Japan.

 

“So what did you learn?”  Tetsurou leaned forward, grinning a bit to hear about Daichi’s illegal business.  Tetsurou truly believed that there wasn’t anything inherently evil about dark magic.  He knew there were blood mages, those who used their own blood to fuel their magic, in the world and he didn’t think any less of them for that.  Daichi put magical tattoos on his body because it was his to do what he pleased with.  It was only when someone used magic fueled by someone else's blood or death that it became twisted.  There wasn’t anyone else in the world that Tetsurou trusted with that knowledge more than Daichi.

 

“Most summonings require death or some kind of torture.  Some people believe to summon a higher tier demon you need more death, more pain but it isn’t true.  It isn’t how the person dies, it’s what they mean to the summoner themselves.”  It made sense.  A person who killed a wild cat had no attachment to that cat, but someone who killed their own child or a loved one.  That was a big sacrifice.  “Blood magic works almost the same way.  Those who use their own blood, because it is thought of as a bigger sacrifice, to cause themselves harm, are usually more powerful than those who use the blood of others.”

 

“And how do you defend against it?”  Tetsurou asked because that was always the biggest question.  Daichi had once come across death magic that tore through his companions shields and killed them.

 

“You have to pull from your soul.”  Tetsurou did not like the sound of that but it made sense.  The usual magic such as elemental or defensive wouldn’t work as well against death magic.  Everything has a weakness.  But magic users were explicitly taught against tapping into that part of them.  The body gave warnings when it was past the point of usual magic drain.  Exhaustion, bloody noses, soreness.

 

“Have you tried it?”  Tetsurou asked, though he wasn’t sure why he had to.  Of course Daichi had tried it and probably made himself repeatedly do it until he was damn good at it too.

 

“It was hard, at first I had to drain myself down because I didn’t know how to bypass that.”  It wasn’t instinctive to extend your soul as part of your magic.  “It’s not the only thing needed.  Your will has to be stronger than that person using death or dark magic against you.”  Tetsurou had no problem believing that when it was Daichi’s will protecting the people he cared about, all other magic would break against it.

 

But there was something else Daichi needed to know.  Tetsurou explained about the staff, how he believed it was what the thieves were after.  He was going to speak with Nakama in just a few hours to ask her about it also.

 

“Huh.”  Daichi looked down at the book still opened in Tetsurou’s hands before sighing and removing his glasses to rub at his eyes.  “Asahi is going to Miyagi for an assignment, I’ll have him look around for the stone.”

 

“Daichi,” Tetsurou closed the book and took a deep breath.  “Whoever is orchestrating these break-ins and most likely the attacks as a distraction probably know that your mother took a part of the staff they are gathering.  Their goal might be to have you be a suspect so they can have a valid excuse to go through your property, looking for that stone.  It also means that if this is all true then someone in a position of power at the Agency is looking to use you as the scapegoat.”

 

Up until that point everything had seemed disjointed.  Using people from Daichi’s past was almost too obvious, the connection blaringly obvious but only a fool would fall for that.  But if someone were looking for an excuse to get onto the Sawamura land, they would want all roads to lead to Daichi.

 

“I’ll ask Narita and Tsukishima to do a bit of research when I got to work.”  Daichi rolled his shoulders before leaning over to rest his forehead against Tetsurou’s bicep.  “I’ll make a list of people I can remember from my past.”

 

“I can have Kenma look into it too.”  Everything had seemed to start happening six months prior.  Kenma could look into everyone's lives, see if there were any changes within the past half year.  Tetsurou closed the book but wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to give it back to Daichi.  He knew the material would be safe with the other man, no matter how dark the book was it would have no effect on Daichi who was so beloved by spirits.  But if they searched Daichi’s things and found that it would give them something to use against him.

 

“What did they do to upset the Spirit in your land?”  Tetsurou asked, causing Daichi to look up in confusion before realization crossed over his face.  Nekomata had said that they had tried to search the Sawamura land before, but the Spirit had risen up and attacked the other agents, only stopping because of Daichi.

 

“I forgot about that.”  Daichi smiled a little.  “It wasn’t the Spirit that attacked them.  One of the men thought it was okay to push a cat off a shrine he was looking at.  You know that long black slinky cat?”  The Sawamura land attracted many cats and Daichi had a habit of leaving out bowls of cat food and water so they tended to stick around.  The long black slinky cat, as Daichi referred to it, was one of Tetsurou’s favorite.  Or he should say, Tetsurou was the black cats favorite.  He often rode around on Tetsurou’s shoulders, claimed his lap whenever Tetsurou sat outside.

 

“What an asshole.”  Who pushed a cat?  “So did one of the spirits attack him then?”  Tetsurou had never seen any of the spirits do anything malicious, but they had a fondness for the cats also.  Daichi’s brows furrowed.

 

“No, the Bakeneko attacked them.”  Tetsurou stared down at his boyfriend in pure confusion.

 

“I’m sorry, what now?”  Tetsurou must be more tired than he originally thought.  “I thought I heard you say that the black cat I sometimes carry around in my hoodie pocket and call my precious baby is a Bakeneko.”

 

“I thought you knew?”  Daichi was doing a valiant job of trying not to laugh.

 

“Daichi!”  Tetsurou exclaimed.  “A Bakeneko!  Really!  I thought you loved me?”

 

“He’s never done anything bad and the Spirit lets him stay there.  He’s been there longer than I have.”  Daichi laughed as Tetsurou threw himself backwards, groaning.  “When he attacked those Agents that is the only time I’ve seen him be violent and when I stepped between them he stopped.  I mean, I think he stalked the one who pushed him for a while because he quit the Agency soon after that but I honestly thought you knew.”

 

“I talk to him all the time Daichi!”  Tetsurou couldn’t help but laugh with Daichi.  It was just like his boyfriend to state that one of the many cats that live on his land, that sometimes sleep in their bed, was a Bakeneko.  Like it was something perfectly normal.  “What else should I know?”

 

“I’m not sure I should tell you.”  Daichi grinned as Tetsurou pushed him to the ground, playfully pinning him to the floor.

 

“I’ll kiss you until you do.”  Which only made Daichi laugh more.

 

“Oh no, please don’t do that.”  Daichi said in a completely unconvincing voice.  “I made you lunch, don’t forget to take that with you.”

 

“Thank you.”  Tetsurou kissed him lightly for that.  “Now tell me.”

 

“You’re not ready.”

 

“Daichi!”

 

“I’m only protecting you.”  Daichi’s deep laugh filled the flat as Tetsurou blew a raspberry against his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the calm before the storm, or I just needed to write some real KuroDai fluff before we get into some real angst.
> 
> Big ol' thanks to **audriel** for editing this chapter!


	7. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Blood Magic

Tetsurou sat back in his chair, twisting his back to try and get the crick out that had developed after spending hours bent over his desk.  He had no idea how the paperwork kept accumulating so quickly, he was almost positive it never had stacked up like that before.

 

It had been a couple days since the last Agency attack so most of Nekoma was out on assignments, while a couple were scheduled for a later shift.  Tetsurou had met with Nakama and was surprised when she had brought along the team leader whose office had been broken into.  She had been a werewolf, though Tetsurou couldn’t pinpoint why he was so sure of that fact.  Despite Kyoutani’s prickly appearance most werewolves could blend into the public as well as demons like Tetsurou could.  But it explained why the woman had been so sure that someone had been in her office and removed something without her permission.  Tetsurou wasn’t sure how much better werewolves senses were than normal humans, but he suspected it was a vast difference.

 

They had shared information and Tetsurou had explained the components of the staff.  The other team leader was sure she had a piece of it in her office.  It had smelled _off_ to her so she had put it into the back of a cabinet and never used it.

 

Tetsurou had also learned that it wasn’t the Agency as a whole who was after Daichi, though it might seem like it at the time, but most of the heat came from one man in particular.  It had been from a chance meeting with the younger Ukai that Tetsurou learned about that.

 

_“Director Oguri?”  Tetsurou had only seen the man during his orientation, his first day at the Agency.  Unlike most of the higher ups in the Agency, Oguri looked like he had worked his way up from the bottom and had earned his title.  He had stood tall, proud, and stern up on the small stage as he addressed Tetsurou’s group of incoming Agency members.  “Why would he have it out for Daichi?”_

 

_“Because Maki made a fool of him,” Ukai Keishin had grinned, a sharp toothed looking smile that spread wide.  “He only thought women had two roles, taking care of their husband and making babies.  He didn’t want women in the office and Maki was too cunning for him.  She went around him and managed to get her plans to separate all the objects the Agency had obtained.  He thought he should be the one in charge of them all.  Then she went and supposedly stole something from under his nose.”  It was clear that Ukai had liked Daichi’s mother quite a lot, admired the hell out of her._

 

_“So he’s mad over something that happened when Daichi was ten?”  Tetsurou asked dubiously._

 

_“It put a black mark against him, his straight road to the top suddenly became a whole lot more difficult.”  Ukai patted his pocket before looking around and pulling out a cigarette.  Tetsurou had come to pick up Daichi for lunch but had found his exhausted looking boyfriend passed out on the couch in his office, so Tetsurou had let him sleep and was walking out of the Agency building when he ran into Ukai.  “Then he gets close to Daichi.  Not sure what kind of person thinks that a parent would involve their innocent kid in stealing from the government but Oguri was convinced Daichi knew something.”_

 

_“He was the one who got Daichi to let those agents onto the Sawamura land?”  Tetsurou asked, the pieces clicking together._

 

_“From your expression I guess you know how well that went.”  Ukai gave another mean looking grin before he blew out smoke upwards, away from both of them.  “But that’s not all.  Oguri’s own kid was the one who was attacked.  It was like a slap in the face, especially when Daichi was the one who had to save him.  The whole thing was a fucking mess from the start, they tore that place apart and Daichi was just trying to be a good kid.”  Ukai stared down at the mostly unfinished cigarette before sighing and putting it out._

 

_“Daichi said that agent ended up retiring from the Agency?”  Tetsurou questioned._

 

_“Oh he didn’t retire, he was forced out.  He lost his damn mind, screamed whenever there was a loud noise.  Attacked some other agents, saying they were the cat in disguise.”  Ukai shoved his hands into his rumpled suit pockets.  “Director Oguri is never going to be at a higher position than he is now and he’s decided it’s all Daichi’s fault.  Punched him square in the mouth for how he was acting when Daichi-” Ukai swallowed down his words but Tetsurou knew.  When Daichi had died, given his life up to save everyone else._

 

_“Daichi knows this?”  Tetsurou asked because it might be important to Daichi to know that it was just the misplaced hatred of one man and not the entirety of the Agency towards him._

 

_“Yes but Oguri has a lot of people in his pockets and even more afraid of him.”  Ukai glanced around before lowering his voice.  “He’s done a good job of scrubbing it from any of his records but my Gramps said that his family was messing with black magic and it backfired on them.  His sister married some heir to a big fortune and their son went wrong.”  Tetsurou’s eyebrows raised before it sounded vaguely familiar._

 

_“Wait Daichi-”_

 

_“Yeah, Daichi dealt with a prominent family whose son had turned to using death magic.  His strict orders were to restrain and capture.  They sent him in with two other field agents and that boy tore through them.”  Ukai rubbed his face before looking back at the front doors of Section Fives Agency building.  “Most people agree that Daichi took the right actions, no matter the age of the boy.  But all Oguri could see was another Sawamura disobeying orders and making him look like a fool.”_

 

_They stood in silence for a couple moments as Tetsurou took in all that information.  Was Oguri involved in the thievery and attacks against the Agency?_

 

_“Have you ever talked to Daichi about his parents?”  Tetsurou asked, switching topics before he had to return to work.  Ukai studied Tetsurou for a moment before watching the passing cars.  “All he has is some faded memories from when he was a kid, I think he’s started to believe all the horrible things people say about them.”  Ukai looked surprised before sighing._

 

_“I tried a couple times over the years.”  Ukai looked at Tetsurou once more, really looked at him as if deciding if he could divulge secrets about Daichi to him.  “I didn’t come back into his life until his grandfather got sick and that was- that was on me.  He didn’t know me and he was hurting and I tried to connect with him by telling him about his parents.  For a long time Daichi was an angry kid and you’ve probably noticed this but he’s really good at pretending everything is fine.  His father was the same damn way.  One night I made him go out drinking with me.  Maki was pregnant at the time so she stayed home.  He didn’t really want to go out but I forced him into it.  We got drunk, he loses his phone and I’m ignoring mine.  Daichi was born that night, Maki had gone into labor.  She was pissed and Kazuya pretended like everything was fine.  One day I made some smart ass comment about going drinking and Kazuya just popped me one.  He was still angry I had made him go out drinking.”_

 

_“Have you ever told Daichi that story?”_

 

_“About how his dad missed his birth and punched me?”  Ukai asked incredulously._

 

_“Yeah maybe not the story to tell a ten year old but Daichi’s older now.”  And maybe what Daichi needed more than anything was to learn his parents were human, flaws and all.  Not the heroes Daichi remembered as a child nor the evil villains people tried to paint them as today but just human._

 

_“Why are you still here?  Don’t you have work or something?”  Ukai grumbled, which was as close to a confirmation as Tetsurou would get at the time._

 

Tetsurou and Daichi had argued after he learned about Oguri.  Daichi had been planning to let them onto his land, he believed if whoever got what they wanted then they would leave innocent people alone.  Tetsurou thought that the plan someone, or multiple someones, had gone through of concocting was at least six months old, which meant they weren’t likely to stop just because Daichi let them search his land.

 

Azumane had done a search of the house and couldn’t find anything resembling the stone.  Daichi wasn’t surprised, he had told Tetsurou that if his mother did give it to his father to hide, then he most likely gave it to the Spirit.  The stone was more than likely the epicenter of the dark magic and things like that could slowly influence those around it.  Daichi was too strong to succumb to it now, but he had only been a child when they first took it.  Smaller spirits were easily influenced by things around them.  The ones on the Sawamura land mostly resembled cats and other woodland creatures that rested in the peaceful place.  They were sometimes mischievous but never harmful.  Hiding the stone in the woods could have slowly warped some of the spirits into something nasty.

 

Though called by the same name, a Spirit was nothing like smaller mostly nature-based spirits that came out of ponds and flowers.  The Spirit who lived in the Sawamura land, who was the Sawamura land, was closer to a god than anything else.  It would not be swayed by something man made.

 

Azumane had the trust of the spirits, they liked him and his gentle nature.  It’s why Daichi signed over the deed to the land and house to Azumane in case of his death.  But the Spirit would never answer to Azumane.  A Sawamura had asked them to hide the stone and only a Sawamura could ask them to retrieve it once more.

 

But Daichi was being kept close to Tokyo with busy work.  He had someone trailing him almost at all times.  Tetsurou didn’t doubt they were taping his phone and reading his emails, waiting for a slip up that would never come.  Because Daichi had nothing to do with any of it but he was handling the 24 hour surveillance with wry humor that had probably gotten him through the worst in his life.

 

Kenma walked into Tetsurou’s office without knocking, which Tetsurou didn’t really expect anyways.  Only the most junior members of the team bothered to knock anymore.

 

“Kenma!”  Tetsurou exclaimed, happy for the distraction.

 

“I’m not going to help you with your work.”  Kenma stated softly as he took a seat.

 

“Rude, like I would ever stoop so low as to push my work off onto someone else.”  Tetsurou had been hoping Kenma would help but it had been a false hope.  “How can I help you?”

 

“I’ve finished compiling a list of those who had a connection to Daichi and have gone off the radar for the past six months.”  Kenma held out his tablet and Tetsurou took it gladly.  “I met up with Tsukishima earlier and we compared.”  Tetsurou suspected that meeting had been quick and to the point.  

 

“You willingly went out and met up with someone?”  Tetsurou gushed, fluttering hand near his heart.  “I’m so proud.”

 

“Stop.”  Kenma shook his head at Tetsurou’s antics before leaning forward and motioning towards the tablet.  “If we are even 60% right then we have a big problem.”  Tetsurou finally looked down at the tablet, at the good number of names on there.  Each name had a profile attached to it and Tetsurou started to go through them.

 

Flunked out of the Academy.  Dishonorably discharged.  Never accepted onto an official team.  Bad attitude and even worse behavior.

 

Tetsurou suspected that if every team leader at the Agency compiled a list of people they had rejected from their teams it would look fairly similar to the one he was reading.  It wasn’t shocking but it was worrying.

 

“If a high ranking member of the Agency came to these people, who so desperately wanted to be apart of the Agency then they might do just about anything he asked.”  Tetsurou looked through the pictures attached to each profile, trying to memorize faces.  “Kurokawa?”

 

“Tsukishima mentioned that he’s seen him a couple times the past week.”  Kenma explained.  “Out of everyone on that list he is the most dangerous and has the closest ties to Sawamura.”  Kenma didn’t mention that just days prior Daichi had a very public lunch with Kurokawa but it lay between them, that knowledge.

 

“We’re not going to have this talk again.”  Tetsurou said dismissively as he continued to look over the profiles.

 

“Please consider it.”  Kenma said sternly, making Tetsurou look up.  It was not as if Kenma was lazy or weak willed, he simply found it bothersome to become over involved in anything.  That didn’t mean he wouldn’t involve himself in something if he believed in it enough.  “If Sawamura is truly involved in this then what will you do?”

 

“It’s too obvious.”  Tetsurou shook his head.

 

“And sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one but you’re avoiding the question.”  Kenma leaned forward.  “Tetsu, if he was behind this then what would you do?”

 

Tetsurou hadn’t let him consider it because it seemed too ridiculous.  Not that Daichi didn’t have a reason to go against the Agency but he would never just sacrifice people for his cause.  He wouldn’t disregard human life the way whoever was really behind this did.  But that wasn’t what Kenma was asking.

 

“I wouldn’t turn him in if that’s what you’re after.”  Tetsurou answered with a shrug.  Maybe he’d knock Daichi out and escape to somewhere far away where Daichi could practice black magic to his heart's content.

 

But Tetsurou knew what Kenma was getting at.  It just wasn’t in Tetsurou to care about people he didn’t know.  He wasn’t incapable of love, he felt true and deep but strangers?  He didn’t care if they died or lived.  Kenma was asking would Tetsurou stop Daichi, if he really was some evil black magic user, from hurting other people?  Tetsurou didn’t have an answer for that but he knew he wouldn’t let anyone hurt Daichi.

 

“What if, when Daichi came back from the dead, he brought something else with him?”  Tetsurou forced himself not to contradict that immediately.  Kenma had pulled Tetsurou out of the _nothing_ he had been stuck in, had felt his very spirit and knew his childhood friend.  But Daichi had walked out of the woods, fully alive and healed after over a year of being dead.

 

In their world, anything was a possibility.

 

“We’re still connected.”  Tetsurou finally decided to tell Kenma something he had been keeping to himself for a long time.  “Not as much as we were before but I’m not even sure Daichi realizes how much I get from him when he’s not guarding himself.  If there was something dark or evil inside of him I would feel it.”  There was unbearable sadness within Daichi, sometimes even deep shame and hurt but nothing malicious.  The only person who had to fear Daichi was the man himself.

 

“Alright I believe you.”  Kenma finally spoke up after a long moment's pause.  Tetsurou let out a relieved breath, not realizing how much he needed his team fully on his side with this.  “Tsukishima was worried about Sawamura, he said he looked like he hasn’t slept in months.”  Only days but Tsukishima’s worry wasn’t misplaced.  Daichi was surviving on the few hours of sleep he could catch on his couch at work, which was never good.

 

“I’m not sure what is happening there,” Tetsurou admitted.  At first he thought it was guilt over the deaths of people he had known but Tetsurou wasn’t quite sure of that anymore.  Tetsurou had tried exhausting Daichi with sex, they had sparred together, and Tetsurou had even gone running and he hated running.  They would go to bed together and eventually Tetsurou would wake up in the bed alone.  “He said Kiyoko sent him some sort of tea to try before he sleeps.”

 

Kiyoko and Yachi ran a small store together.  Yachi dealt with herbs and plants, it was where her magic lied but Kiyoko was a master with potions.  If Kiyoko said that the tea would help him sleep then it would most likely knock Daichi right out.

 

“How have you been sleeping?”  Kenma asked, which made Tetsurou really think about it.

 

“Fine most nights.”  He woke up when Daichi wasn’t in bed with him but mostly he stumbled out to the living room, buried his face in Daichi’s broad back, and fell right back asleep.

 

“Does he have anything he drinks regularly?  A food cart he goes to daily?”  Kenma asked and Tetsurou didn’t know why he didn’t see it before.  Every once and awhile Daichi had a hard time sleeping but it usually passed in a day or so.  It was close to a week by then.  Tetsurou would make sure to ask about it.

 

Kai walked in with his usual amiable smile, asking if Tetsurou was ready to go on their usual patrol with Yaku.  It was a chance for them to get out of the office and break down the next couple of assignments or discuss past ones, who needs help in what training, talk about the new recruits and so on.

 

Tetsurou eyed all the paperwork on his desk with dismay.

 

“Go.”  Tetsurou looked up at Kenma in surprise.  “Don’t make me say it again or I’ll leave.”  Tetsurou jumped up, thanked Kenma and pulled Kai out of the office just as Kenma was sitting down behind Tetsurou’s desk with a deep sigh.

 

Yaku was waiting in the lobby for them and they all walked out of the building together.  It was the time of year where the days were warm but the nights chilly and Tetsurou was looking forward to the days having a bit more of a nip to them.  Amongst other things, Daichi in sweaters were one of Tetsurou’s favorite things and it was a travesty that the weather was denying him of that sight.

 

“You shouldn’t push your work off onto Kenma, he isn’t the leader of Nekoma just yet.”  Yaku scolded Tetsurou lightly but there was no real bite in his words.

 

“Why are you making it sound like I’ve got one foot out the door?”  Tetsurou asked, fluttering a hand over his chest as if he was offended, which he really wasn’t.

 

“Don’t you?”  Kai asked in his usual soft tone.  Tetsurou glanced between the two of them, who were staring expectantly at him.  Did Tetsurou have one foot out the door from the Agency?

 

Tetsurou had mostly joined the Agency because of Koutarou.  It had seemed like a good next step after they graduated, and it wasn’t as if Tetsurou had any future plans to speak of so he had followed Koutarou and applied.  His grades along with his natural magic ability landed him an easy spot as an Agent and it hadn’t been long before he had officially joined Nekoma.  He had accepted the position of leadership because it seemed like the logical thing to do.  Tetsurou hadn’t really liked the way the team had been lead before.  It was fine but it wasn’t run as efficiently as it could have been.  Tetsurou might be called lazy sometimes but when he agreed to do something he did it with full intent to do it to the best of his ability.

 

If Tetsurou was being perfectly honest he had joined up once more with the Agency after he was brought back from the dead because he hadn’t had any other options, and once again it seemed logical to do so.  The truth was Nekoma ran perfectly well without him and everyone on the team didn’t need his constant help anymore, even the most junior members.

 

“We considered it, after you were gone.”  Kai said, still refusing to say the word ‘died’.  “But they needed us.”

 

“They don’t anymore.”  Yaku admitted with a shrug, not at all offended.  That was the way life worked out.  The three of them had trained their juniors to the best of their ability and now they didn’t need anymore training.  They were ready to do the teaching themselves.

 

“If you left what would you do?”  Tetsurou asked because he was genuinely curious.  They had similar conversations throughout the years.  But none of them had been close to leaving before.  Tetsurou imagined that if he had one foot out the door, they were ready to leave also since they had been at the Agency even longer than him.

 

“I think I would like to stay on, use my degree to help the recruits.  Perhaps some training.”  Kai had been taking night and online classes to get his Ph.D in Psychology and within the past couple months he had finally succeeded.

 

“Maybe travel a little.”  Yaku had probably the most difficult decision of leaving the Agency amongst the three of them.  He was a Guardian and the world was short on defensive magic users.  After a decade of protecting people, Yaku would find it hard to walk away.

 

“Inuoka wanted to travel.”  Tetsurou said because it had popped up in his head but also to remind them that life was short.  The hole that Inuoka had left in their little family, even after only knowing him for such a short time, had been a bad one.  He had been the youngest and had given up his life to protect Lev.  He had been a brand new recruit when Tetsurou had died.  When he came back Inuoka was just as energetic as always, willing to help and a bright spot to anyone's day.

 

“And what will you do about Lev?”  Kai asked, which Tetsurou thought was a little unfair.  If he had asked that same question he would have received a punch to the ribs.  But all Yaku did was turn a little red as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

 

“He said he’d wait.”  Tetsurou was sure he didn’t grin, no matter what Yaku said after he punched him.  Tetsurou put Kai between them just to make sure it didn’t happen again.  “I don’t know if that’s fair of me to do.”

 

“He’s the young one, he’s still got time.”  Tetsurou admitted that he deserved the kick for that one.

 

“I’m moving in with Oohira Roen, we’ve been dating for a couple months now.”  Kai interjected Yaku and Tetsurou’s petty argument with his usual grace.  Both men stared at Kai before something clicked in Tetsurou’s mind.

 

“The big guy from Shiratorizawa?  Doesn’t Hinata call him Benkei?”  Tetsurou asked just to be sure.  Kai had a tendency to keep his dating life very separate from his work one.  It didn’t mean he didn’t introduce his various significant others to his team, just that he only did so if he was completely serious about them.  To Tetsurou’s knowledge, Kai had never dated anyone from the Agency before.  Tetsurou understood the reasoning, more often than not Daichi and he ended up talking more about work than anything.  It didn’t bother Tetsurou, but he could see why other people would want to keep it separate.

 

“Yes, we met at Sawamura’s welcome back party.”  Welcome back from the dead was what Kai was too nice to say.  Tetsurou hadn’t seen Kai talk to Oohira there, but that was where Terushima and Ushijima had met too.  “We started to spar against each other sometimes.  I thought it was a good insight into Shiratorizawa.”  Shiratorizawa had a history of not training with other teams.  Everyone was always curious about their strict training regimen, they were the top team in Section Five after all.

 

“When did he ask you out?”  Yaku asked, which Tetsurou was also curious about.

 

“He didn’t, I asked him out.”  Kai smiled as some kids ran between them, nearly bowling over Yaku.  “I told him I didn’t date within the Agency and he respected that.  But a couple weeks had passed and I changed my mind.  I would have waited forever if I wanted him to ask me.”  Tetsurou laughed, nudging Kai lightly with his elbow.  Because of his calm personality people tended to misjudge Kai.  He was calm and collected, but he could also be sly and cunning when he wanted to be.

 

“So when are we going to be properly introduced?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“We are having a barbeque the beginning of next month before it gets too cold.”  Kai shifted easily out of the way for a rude man on his cell phone not paying any attention.  “You’re welcome to bring Sawamura if he can get the time off.”  Tetsurou raised his eyebrows at this because it had been fairly recently that Kai had questioned Daichi’s motives.

 

“You just want him there before that crazy monster is going to be there.”  Yaku spoke up.  It took Tetsurou a moment to realize who Yaku was speaking of.  Nekoma didn’t have much interaction with Shiratorizawa as a whole, but sometimes the more senior members of the team dropped by Terushima and Daichi’s apartment to see Ushijima.

 

Daichi had done a good job of keeping Tendou and Tetsurou far away from each other.  Tetsurou had thought at first it was because Tendou had a habit of getting under people's skin and he didn’t want the two of them trying to provoke each other.  But later he realized it was because Tendou had an uncanny ability to dig out people's secrets.  Tetsurou could do the same thing, though he was generally pretty decent about keeping those secrets to himself.

 

Tendou was a crazy monster, Yaku was right about that, but he was also most definitely a demon.  

 

“He behaves himself when Sawamura is around.”  Kai agreed.

 

“You think Tendou is afraid of Daichi?”  Tetsurou asked, which was met by a soft smile from Kai and loud laughter from Yaku.  “Wait, are you saying I behave myself when Daichi is around?”  It was more or less true but they didn’t have to go and say it like that.

 

Tetsurou was still grumbling as they made their way through the streets and onto different topics of discussion.  They all agreed that the best choice to help Kenma when he stepped into his leadership position was Yamamoto.  Fukunaga would be the easy balance between the two different personalities.  They were functioning much like Tetsurou, Kai, and Yaku did though in their own way.  Tetsurou was the leader of Nekoma but he didn’t lead by himself.  He put his trust into his two friends and team members.

 

Tetsurou’s phone started ringing about an hour into their patrol and he pulled it out to see Kenma’s name flash on the screen, along with a picture Kenma’s mom had sent Tetsurou a month or so ago.  Kenma was a fat little baby who was always dressed in yellow.  Tetsurou was sure Kenma would kill him if he knew the picture was saved on his phone but he thought it was well worth the risk since every time he saw it it made Tetsurou all warm inside.

 

“There is an attack in Section Four’s zone.”  Kenma started to explain before Tetsurou could even get out a proper greeting.  Tetsurou pulled Kai and Yaku off to the side.  “They don’t have enough agents in the city to take them out.”  Section Four’s real area was all the way in the North of Japan, most of their agents would be deployed there.  As soon as the attack started all Agency buildings would go into lockdown, which meant that even those agents available in Tokyo would be locked in a building and unable to leave.

 

“Send me the location.”  Tetsurou ordered as he slide into the cab Kai had hailed.

 

Kenma sent them the location and all the information they had at the time.  The street that the attack had taken place on was a local tourist hotspot, beautifully upkept with shops and bustling cafes lining up and down the road.  There were at least two attackers who took off into separate buildings.  The police had shut down all traffic into and out of the street.

 

Traffic was backed up so Tetsurou and the other two men were forced to leave the cab and jog towards the street.  Tetsurou received another text just as they were coming up on the row of police cars and uniformed officers.

 

“They are sending other Agents that were out in the field here, Daichi is actually the closet.  He’ll be here in about five minutes.”  Tetsurou felt relieved as he put his phone away.  He fully trusted that him and his team could handle just about any situation, but going into a hostile environment with little knowledge and only three agents wasn’t exactly ideal.  According to Kenma, Daichi had Azumane and Nishinoya with him.

 

“We’re not sure what exactly is going on.”  The officer who had approached them when they ran up said.  He looked immensely relieved that they were there, which Tetsurou couldn’t blame him for.  The Agency’s job was to take care of magical problems, the police were there to protect the people from more mundane things.  Tetsurou could sense little to no magic from each of the dozen or so officers on the street, but he knew they were willing to risk their lives just the same.

 

“Excuse me ma’am you can’t be here.”  An officer was saying from behind them.  Tetsurou turned to see a young girl holding a phone out, speaking a different language.  She suddenly switched languages and Yaku turned towards her.

 

“Wait, she said she caught the initial attack on her phone.”  Yaku said, walking over to talk to the girl in what Tetsurou realized was English.  Tetsurou’s English was limited.  If someone spoke slow enough and in small words he could understand, but the girl’s native tongue was clearly not English and she was scared and speaking fast.  Tetsurou had to admire the young girl, who was clearly a tourist.  She could have just run to safety but she was trying to help.

 

Yaku took the phone with a thanks before turning it so Tetsurou and Kai, who had walked closer, could see the cracked screen.  The video played, showing the girl smiling and waving, talking at the camera.  Clearly making a video for someone else.  She flipped the view of the camera, showing off the previously crowded street as she continued talking in an excited tone.  The video went staticky for a moment but Tetsurou could still see several people on the crowded street drop simultaneously.  The phone flipped and fell, the girls horrified face showing for an instant before the screen was jerked away.  It was clear she was holding the phone close to her, crouched down, probably completely forgetting about the video as people run and yell in confusion and horror.  More people were dropping down on the street.

 

Then a person dressed in casual clothes with a baseball cap covering half their features dodged through the crowd, grabbed one of the fallen people and dragged them off.  Tetsurou watched with dawning horror as other people were dragged out of the frame too.  He could trick himself into believing it was just some helpful citizens getting the people out of the way of a stampeding crowd but he saw the determination in the straightness of their spines.

 

Yaku handed the phone back, got the girl to send a copy to his email and then asked her to delete the video before making sure she got away safely.

 

“Do we know where they went?  Or even if they are still around?”  Tetsurou asked as he looked down the empty street once more.  Or mostly empty street, bodies were strewn around.

 

“Those two are officers, they went to check to see if anyone was alive and when they passed that food cart with the yellow umbrella they were knocked out.”  They were standing well away from the food cart now.  “One of my men are sure the attack is coming from that building, third floor up, the window with the blue shades.”  But Kenma had reported attackers on both sides of the street, which meant someone else was on the other side in an unknown building.

 

“They are with us, let them through.”  Yaku told the officers a little further back.  Tetsurou looked over to see several officers looking slightly nervous as they let through Azumane.  The man could be quite intimidating when he put his full concentration on something.

 

Daichi came around Azumane’s side, walking up to the main officer in charge and introducing himself.  Tetsurou watched in amusement and awe as his boyfriend easily soothed over the officers conflicting emotions, managing to include them in a plan while also keeping them out of harm's way.  An eyebrow raise and tilt of Daichi’s head towards Tetsurou was asking if the other team leader wanted to take over the reins, but Tetsurou was quite satisfied with standing back and watching Daichi work.  Tetsurou and his team were used to coming into a situation and assuming full control, Daichi did the same thing but he managed to do it without stepping on any toes.

 

“Our main objective is to get those civilians out of harm's way.”  Daichi glanced around at the various Agents and officers surrounding him.  He had managed to get a stretcher.  Yaku and Noya stood a little further away from their group, discussing the best way to go about shielding their little group.  Barriers were easiest done while stationary but both Guardians were skilled and knowledgeable enough to be able to shield them all from whatever attack was thrown at them.

 

They managed to get to the two fallen officers without any problems.  It turned out they were only paralyzed and not dead, which boded well for the rest of the fallen citizens in the street but not for those who were taken.  There were only two reasons to take people alive.  To hold as hostages or use as a power source.

 

They moved further down the street as a group.  There was a pregnant woman collapsed onto her side.  Even from a distance Tetsurou could see her harsh breathing.

 

“It’s okay, you’re going to be just fine.”  Daichi assured her in a soft but firm tone as he and Kai carefully placed her on the stretcher.  “We’re going to get you to the medics right away but you need to slow your breathing down and don’t struggle.  I know you’re scared right now but the more you try to fight against it, the stronger the hold will be.”

 

“B-baby.”  The woman managed to gasp out, which was impressive given her current state.

 

“He’s fine, I can feel him and his heartbeat is normal.  We’re going to get both of you out of here safe and sound.  You just concentrate on your breathing.”  Daichi assured her as he and Kai picked up the stretcher carefully, guarded by magic from Noya, and made their way to safety.

 

Medics and Med Mages alike had shown up in the time it took them to rescue the fallen officers.  They had reported that more Agents were on their way but traffic had backed up and it would take them a while to arrive.

 

“That’s the building the officer is sure they entered.”  Tetsurou said quietly once Kai and Daichi had returned.  They were almost in front of it with about ten more people to rescue.  It didn’t escape Tetsurou’s notice that the majority of the civilians on the street were past that yellow building where at least one attacker was.

 

“Okay, we won’t spread ourselves too far, we’ll go up one side and down the other.”  Daichi instructed.  “We’ll pull them into the alleys where there’s no view from the buildings, get them out of harm's way first then if they still haven’t attacked we’ll go in after them.”  He glanced around for confirmation or objections.  Tetsurou knew it was a hard decision to make.  They were all well aware that those who had been taken were most likely to be used for power, that they were sacrificing those civilians for the ones on the street.  They could enter the buildings first, leave the civilians where they lay.  It would be the easier option instead of slowly moving down an empty street and waiting to be attacked.  But that wasn’t what the Agency was about, not the one any of them believed in.

 

Daichi and Kai had nearly reached the nearest civilian when Tetsurou felt something shift in the air.  He called out a warning and watched as Daichi and Kai simultaneously tried to reach for the teenage girl but they were a second too late.

 

Noya managed to block the hit from Daichi and Kai but it wasn’t aimed at either of them.  The girl didn’t even have time to scream as the magical blast tore through her.  Daichi stared at the bloody remains even as Kai pulled him back towards the safety of the group.

 

Tetsurou looked around at the other civilians and then frowned when he realized there were two less.  Not blown apart like the girl but just gone.

 

“Fuck!  They used her as a distraction to take more.”  Tetsurou cursed again.  Meters separated them from the next civilian.  Too far away.  Tetsurou felt the build of power, warned the others.  Noya and Yaku cast barriers around the civilians nearest to them but the attacks wavered and hit others.

 

“That red building across the street, top floor, the glass shattered outward during the first attack.”  Kai reported grimly.  They all grit their teeth as they stared at the five remaining civilians, could hear their pleas and shouts.  They couldn’t even open an attack where they knew the assailants were because there could be innocent people in there.

 

Something shifted in the air and Tetsurou reached out, the tips of his fingers brushing against Yaku’s sleeve.  Everyone stiffened, so attuned they were to each others every movement that they realized Tetsurou had felt something coming, most likely another attack.

 

“Can you shield the-” Kai was speaking quietly but quickly before Tetsurou tasted copper, the air around them became almost too hot.  Daichi took two fast steps to shove himself in front of Noya, crossing his arms in front of his face before a heated blast hit them all.  Yaku and Noya both flinched as their shield was shredded.

 

“Daichi!”  Azumane was at Daichi’s side the second the attack subsided.  Yaku and Noya worked hard to restore the shield around them right before another attack hit them from the side.  The barrier absorbed the magical hit, shifting to a mustard yellow collar before becoming transparent again.

 

“I’m fine.”  Daichi waved off Azumane’s concern.  He was bleeding from cuts all over his arms and several on his face but Tetsurou could see they were small, shallow things and wouldn’t impair him much.

 

“What the hell was that?”  Yaku asked angrily.  “That was a Master Barrier, nothing should be able to tear through it like that!”  Noya seemed to share Yaku’s anger.  Guardians took their jobs quite seriously, they had a strong need to protect people and they had both been unable to protect their own team mates.

 

“Blood magic.”  Daichi’s soft brown eyes met Tetsurou’s for a moment but he knew what it meant.  No shield or barrier Yaku or Noya could cast would be able to stop the attacks if they were fueled by blood magic, and Daichi had accessed his own soul to power his barrier to protect them all.

 

“What is the barrier you cast?”  Yaku asked, still sure there was a way he could help.

 

“It won’t matter.”  Daichi shook his head.  There was a small cut right above his eyebrow and he wiped a hand over it to get the blood out of his eye.  “It’s blood magic, the only way to block against it successfully is to use your soul.”  Both Yaku and Noya looked away in frustration and anger.  Spells, shields, any magic took time and effort to learn.  The Guardians knew that better than most.  Defensive magic took strong wills and iron backbones, there could be no flinching or hesitation, which always happened when learning something new.

 

“Now that you know what it feels like, can you sense it coming?”  Daichi asked as he moved to stand in front of Tetsurou.

 

“Yes,” Tetsurou couldn’t help but look at the smeared blood across Daichi’s forehead.  They were only a few small cuts but even those could become deadly if they hit the right area or if they became too numerous.  He couldn’t hesitate, he wouldn’t hesitate.  If Daichi was confident he could block the attacks then Tetsurou would help in anyway he could.

 

“When the time comes Asahi will go with Kuroo to the building on the left, Kai and Yaku could you handle the right building and Noya will shield the civilians left on the street?”  Daichi asked, barely finishing his sentence before Tetsurou tasted copper again.

 

“Daichi.”  Tetsurou warned him.  Yaku looked like he wanted to ask more questions but there simply was no time.  Daichi moved swiftly once the air started to heat up, his arms crossed at his wrists in front of his face a mere second before the attack hit.  Tetsurou heard Daichi grunt in pain, watched as the shield Yaku and Noya had set up was once again ripped to shreds before they quickly put up another one.  At least the attacks were focused on them and not the civilians further down the street.

 

“We’ll be going in the buildings blind.”  Yaku spoke softly, not as if he was questioning Daichi’s orders but merely stating a fact.  Daichi had several more cuts, Azumane was hovering close by him.  Daichi wasn’t quite leaning against the large man but he was definitely unsteady on his feet.

 

“They’ll be distracted, you can use that to your advantage.”  Daichi’s voice was a little harder than usual.  They were all well aware that taking any of the attackers in alive was no longer a priority.  They were too dangerous to be given a chance to attack once more if they were just merely restrained.  Tetsurou had no problem with that and a single look at Yaku and Kai let him know the other two were fine with it also.

 

“Daichi, both sides.”  The horrible, lingering taste in Tetsurou’s mouth made him feel as if the inside of his mouth was bleeding.  His ears popped with the sudden pressure and he watched with trepidation as Daichi took two stumbling footsteps forward, out of the barrier before tossing his arms wide.

 

The attack hit and Tetsurou felt it from both sides.  The barrier shattered but everyone was unharmed as Daichi fell to his knees, his arms still outstretched but his hands tightly fisted.

 

“Go!”  Azumane was the one to wake them from their surprise and Tetsurou followed quickly on the Giant’s heels as they entered the building.  Tetsurou took lead.  He wasn’t positive that he could deflect blood magic but he had a better chance at it than Azumane, whose power came from his strength.

 

Going up three flights of stairs felt like it dragged on for an eternity, especially not knowing what was going on in the other building or with Daichi and Noya on the street.  Tetsurou pushed all those thoughts and worries out of his head.  If Daichi said they would be distracted, then they would damn well be distracted.  As much as Tetsurou’s team thought Daichi had some martyr complex, he rarely did anything without thinking things through.  It would be a mistake to say that Daichi wasn’t as impulsive as his team, he was, but he would never risk anyone’s lives without a plan.

 

Tetsurou and Azumane slammed through a doorway, magic pulled up and pressed close to them, legs ready to move at a moment's notice but they were met with an almost comical scene, if it hadn’t been so horrifying.  There were two bodies, bleeding profusely and spread out in a large drawn magical circle on the floor.  Four more people were hogtied and pushed off near the wall.  One person was kneeling next to one of the bodies, face a purplish-red, body tense.

 

Azumane must have come to the same conclusion that Tetsurou did because he was suddenly striding forward and his fist connected with the man's face in a sickening crack.  Daichi must have somehow used their own magic against them, to hold them still long enough for the various Agency members to overtake them.

 

Tetsurou used a blade tucked away in his boot to start cutting through the restraints on the civilians.

 

“There was one other but when that one stopped moving they took off.”  An elderly woman explained after Tetsurou had asked if there were anymore attackers.  It wasn’t good news but it wasn’t exactly unexpected.  This had been a planned attack, more than two people would have been needed to complete it.

 

More Agency members flooded the building, taking care of the living and leaving the dead until a coroner could reach them.  It wasn’t long until Tetsurou and the rest of them were brought aside for questioning.

 

“Where is Sawamura?”  Tetsurou interrupted the third person asking him the exact same questions.  The young man, why did he look like he was still in middle school? Looked confused as he glanced around.  “One of the other Agency members involved in this?  About this tall, brown hair, a little bloody?  Unbelievably handsome?  Any of this getting through to you?  What was your name again?  How old are you?”

 

“Okay, let’s not give the boy a heart attack because you’re feeling touchy.”  Yaku said as he pushed and prodded Tetsurou away.  “They took Sawamura back to Section Four, where they would like us all to go.”

 

“They’ve reopened it already?”  Tetsurou asked because they should still be in lockdown.

 

“They’ve got a null working for them.”  Kai said with his usual serenity as Tetsurou choked on his own spit.

 

“What!  No fucking way.”  Nulls were extremely rare and they did exactly what their name implied.  They nullified any magic.  Tetsurou had never met one.  Mostly they were scooped up by the government or very high paying businesses.  The type of businesses that were more illegal than not.

 

Tetsurou was worried about Daichi but he tried to curb that worry.  Kai and Yaku had successfully managed to take out their own attacker, stating that there had been another one who had been in the process of running away when they found the room.  Noya had shielded the civilians left on the street and allowed the new Agency members to come in unharmed to remove everyone, though no further attacks happened.

 

“I’ve never even heard of someone being able to restrain anyone through an attack.”  Yaku spoke up as they all waited in line together.  Noya and Azumane shared a look, Noya rolling a shoulder in a move that clearly showed he would leave it to Azumane to share any information or not.

 

“Attacks don’t usually leave a magical trail back towards the person.” Tetsurou said what they all knew.  Barriers were different, the caster had to constantly push their own magic into it but it was almost impossible to grab hold of a barrier and force the magic to go in the opposite way.  Spells, especially attacks, did not connect to the caster after they had cast it.

 

“Daichi learned it was different with dark magic.”  Azumane said.  Tetsurou knew of only one instance where Daichi had been attacked with dark magic.  He had been in his early twenties and must have just watched his teammates die, torn apart by death and blood magic.  To be able to learn such critical information in a moment of terror and grief?

 

“Stop drooling over Sawamura, show at least a little bit of professionalism.  Not like you’re representing Section One or Nekoma at all.”  Yaku grunted in disgust but didn’t elbow or kick Tetsurou like he normally would have.  They were all a little wiped out from the experience.  Adrenaline had kicked in previously and had left them tired.  Noya looked at Yaku before looking up at Tetsurou with a slowly widening grin before turning and shuffling closer to his boyfriend.

 

At least Tetsurou wasn’t alone in thinking Daichi was amazing, even though Noya wasn’t willing to go against Yaku to say anything about it.

 

Tetsurou rubbed at his hair as they entered Section Four’s building.  He glanced around, trying to find the null.  He could feel a buzzing in his chest, a slight pressure against him.  He wondered if the others felt anything similiar to it.  Azumane’s shoulders hunched slightly but Tetsurou couldn’t tell if it was because he was being asked for his ID or the questions were being thrown at him or because he too could feel the effect of the null.  Having Giant blood running through his system meant Azumane was closer to not human than any of the others, and therefore he was made of magic rather than just possessing it.

 

Tetsurou answered the questions as plainly as possible, resisting the urge to needle the serious woman behind the counter as someone patted him down with gloves.  They took his blades, putting them in a locked bin and handing him a keycard with a series of numbers on it to get his items back when he left.

 

“They want to question all of us separately.”  Kai said before placing a warm palm on Tetsurou’s shoulders, his fingers applying slight pressure.  “They said Sawamura is fine, just a little magic sickness but he is being seen to.”  Tetsurou sighed at the thought of being questioned once more but he knew as long as he cooperated he would get out of it as quick as possible to check on Daichi himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait for an update! The "battle scene" in this chapter just did not want to be written.
> 
> Thank you **audriel** for editing this!


	8. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Burning Tree

The questioning process was as long and arduous as Tetsurou thought it was going to be.  They first made him wait in a little room for twenty minutes until a boy who looked barely out of middle school came in.  Tetsurou knew better than to judge someone by their looks but the kid was sweating bullets.  As if Tetsurou was a criminal and not another field agent who had assisted in another section.  It took every ounce of Tetsurou’s usually good control not to push the kid too far.

 

Tetsurou could tell when he was actually being questioned and he was just being stalled.  Someone had decided to waste Tetsurou’s time and when he realized that, he wasn’t very happy.

 

Yaku and Kai were waiting for him outside the room and even the ever amiable Kai looked like he was having a hard time keeping calm.  Tetsurou wasn’t sure why they had decided to waste all their time but he was giving them a short opportunity to produce the rest of their party before he stopped cooperating fully.

 

“You’ve got a scary look on your face.”  Yaku said but for once didn’t scold Tetsurou to be more friendly.  Yaku probably had the shortest temper out of the entirety of Nekoma but it took quite a lot to get him truly angry.  Tetsurou had only seen that anger a handful of times in his decade or so of knowing Yaku and he really didn’t want to see it now.

 

Footsteps sounded down the hall before Tetsurou could answer and everyone’s attention turned towards the three members of Karasuno being led by a tall woman with short black hair.  They all looked fine, though the stony looks on Azumane and Noya’s faces were new.  Daichi followed behind them and Tetsurou knew there was something off about the other man but he just couldn’t figure out what it was.  Considering where they were and that they were there in a professional manner it meant he couldn’t take the time to figure out what was wrong and the best action to go about making it better.

 

“If you’ll follow me please, I can escort you out.”  Tetsurou thought it was a bit overkill but no one uttered an objection as they followed the tall woman down the hall and to the elevators.

 

The ride down was awkward and silent.  Part way through Tetsurou realized that whatever vibe Daichi was giving off, his two team mates had picked up on it and were doing their best to physically shield him from anyone else.

 

“Sawamura!”  A voice called out when they got into the main lobby.  They were lined up, holding out the small key cards to get their belongings back when a woman dodged through people to get to Daichi.  She had one of those faces that could have meant she was fresh out of high school or in her thirties.  She was professionally dressed and honestly, she most likely wouldn’t stick out in a crowd.  “Pardon me but Amanai wanted me to give this to you, she apologized for not being able to bring it herself.”  The woman bowed deeply as she held out a katana.  It was longer than the short swords Daichi usually used and Tetsurou wondered why this Amanai woman thought Daichi would need it.

 

“Please tell Amanai that I appreciate it but it’s really not necessary.”  Daichi said, shaking his head as he took a step back.  The katana’s handle was blue, the saya holding the blade black with blue designs decorating it.  It looked modern, almost brand new though Tetsurou had no real way of knowing if it was.

 

“She said you would say that and I was to tell you that it is bad luck to dismiss a gift given in good faith.”  The woman held the sword out again and Daichi took it, if a bit stiffly.  Tetsurou couldn’t help but watch the action.  He had no idea what had happened to Daichi during the time they were apart but something clearly had.  Daichi wasn’t in the habit of taking out his frustrations on other people but Tetsurou could clearly see the other man struggle to reign in whatever emotion he was feeling.

 

“Please thank her for me.”  Daichi said, to which the woman bowed once more before disappearing in the crowd.  Daichi stared down at the blade, pressing his lips together into a fine line.

 

“Who is Amanai?”  Yaku asked, breaking the odd tension that had pulled them all into silence.

 

“Ryuu- I mean Tanaka’s friend from childhood, they use to date for a while too.”  Noya asked, peering around Azumane to give the blade a good once over.  

 

“Did they end in good terms?”  Yaku asked, looking more worried but Noya laughed.

 

“They are still friends, she won't curse a blade if that’s what you’re thinking.”  Noya looked like he was about to slap Daichi’s back but thought better of it.  “If she thinks it’s important for you to have it then it probably is.”  Daichi gave a jerky nod, hand tightening around the saya before following everyone out.

 

“Tanaka has had previous relationships?”  Yaku asked in surprise.  Kai nudged him lightly and he stuttered to apologize but Noya was already laughing.  It was partially surprising.  First impression and most impressions after, Tanaka seemed like the type of bullheaded, muscle-brained blockhead no one wanted on their team.  If Tetsurou did not have someone eerily similar on his own team he would have written off Tanaka quickly.  Like Tora, who was quick to take offense and picked a fight with just about everyone, they were rather soft inside.  

 

Tanaka was dating, and completely devoted to, Yachi and Kiyoko. Tetsurou had assumed, much like Yaku, that that was his first relationship.

 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize, Ryuu knows he’s kind of rough.”  Noya seemed to shake off whatever negative feelings he had previously easily.  “But anyone that’s talked to him for longer than a couple minutes has a habit of falling for him.  He makes people feel comfortable and safe.”  Azumane nodded in agreement while they walked together out of the Agency building.  Tetsurou was only half paying attention because Daichi was staying silent.

 

It wasn’t as if Daichi was one of those people who felt the need to fill every silence, but he never missed an opportunity to speak well of his team members.  Normally Daichi would have explained why Tanaka’s childhood friend and ex-partner gave him a sword.  The weapon clearly wasn’t meant for Tanaka, who fought close combat with his body which was his weapon.

 

Tetsurou knew from previous conversations that there had been a period when Daichi and Tanaka had been on the same team without any of the others.  Tetsurou had to guess that team was Kurokawa’s, though he couldn’t be positive about that.  Suga had been receiving training to be a proper Med Mage.  Azumane and Noya had both briefly left the Agency for a while, Tetsurou didn’t know the reason for that but he didn’t try and pry into their personal business.  Being an Agent was difficult and a lot of field Agents tended to take some time off once and awhile.  Tetsurou could guess that it was during this time period that Tanaka had dated Amanai and she had become close to Daichi.

 

But why a sword?  The fighting was over.  The katana was a longer blade than what Daichi usually fought with, plus he had two short swords he used regularly.

 

“You okay?”  Tetsurou asked as they loaded into the cab waiting for them.

 

“I’m fine.”  Most of the time when Tetsurou asked that question he got a light bump from Daichi, a small reassuring smile.  But his answer was distracted, gruff and almost curt.  Daichi was many things but rude was not one of them.  Especially not to Tetsurou.

 

Kai directed the cab to Section Five’s Agency building, where they would drop off Karasuno before making their way back to Section One.  Tetsurou sat next to Daichi, trying to figure out what was wrong with his boyfriend.

 

It seemed like Daichi was agitated, which was a new one for Tetsurou.  Daichi got mad, he had a surprisingly short fuse, but he cooled off quickly.  Tetsurou wasn’t sure how best to deal with an agitated Daichi.  Everyone dealt with their emotions in their own way and Tetsurou didn’t want to make things worse.

 

Tetsurou decided to stop worrying and just do something.  He gently touched the back of his fingers to Daichi’s.  It was as subtle as he could be without being seen as pushy.  If Daichi pulled away then Tetsurou knew that the other man just needed his space to deal with his emotions.  But after a small moment Daichi curled his fingers around Tetsurou’s.  Tetsurou hadn’t even realized how tense he had been until he suddenly relaxed as Daichi returned the small gesture.  The conversation flowed around them as Tetsurou slumped slightly against Daichi.  Daichi didn’t participate but he looked to be listening as he absentmindedly played with Tetsurou’s fingers.  Tetsurou liked the contrast of their hands.  Daichi’s skin was a couple shades deeper than Tetsurou’s, his fingers not as long but shorter and thicker.

 

Tetsurou closed his eyes and let his mind rest for a moment.  He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so tired.  The Agency had a strict training regime for new recruits.  Tetsurou used parts of it in training his own team but the real truth was that field agents didn’t experience much combat.  Most assignments required a little bit of magic but mostly Tetsurou had used his wit and clever tongue over the years.  The first real battle he had experienced was years prior and had ended with his death.

 

Tetsurou knew his team blamed themselves for it.  Kenma most of all since the hit that had taken Tetsurou out had been originally meant for Kenma.  Tetsurou didn’t blame any of them.  It was due to lack of real life experience and bad timing.

 

The next battle had resulted in Daichi’s death.  Tetsurou wouldn’t willingly admit it to anyone but he had been terrified during that battle.  He often believed that fear had played a part in Inuoka’s death.  More monsters than any of them knew how to deal with had attacked them.

 

Daichi had seen more combat than anyone Tetsurou knew in the Agency.  Daichi never seemed to hesitate or freeze when attacked.  It was apart of his stalwart character, it made people follow him without question.  Many people depended on Daichi and Tetsurou wondered how exhausting that was, to be the one who always had to be strong and stand tall, the one who couldn’t flinch or waver.

 

Tetsurou hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep until he was woken up by Daichi moving beside him.  He blinked blearily as he squinted at the clock on the dashboard of the car.  A forty-five minute nap wasn’t too bad but they should have reached Section Fives building sooner.  A look out the window made it clear the reason why they weren’t at the Agency building.  They were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic which was odd for that time of day.

 

Daichi wasn’t normally an impatient person so Tetsurou took another look out of the windshield that the other man was looking out of.  Above the tops of the nearest buildings Tetsurou could make out a plume of black smoke.  Something was burning.

 

Tetsurou rubbed his neck, regretting falling asleep at such an odd angle.  Smoke in the city was slightly alarming but the fire department was more than capable of handling it.  Though it did mean they would be stuck in traffic while they got it under control.

 

“We’re only three blocks from the building, we could walk there?”  Asahi asked hesitantly.  It made sense.  Tetsurou and the rest of his team could get out and go to the nearest train station, it would most likely get them to their own building quicker than a car would.  So they all agreed and got out, thanking the driver before they started towards the Agency building.  “You okay?”  Asahi asked in a soft tone, bending slightly down to look at Daichi.

 

“Yeah.”  Daichi said in a tone that wasn’t at all believable.  Daichi must have heard the lie because he rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh.  “Sorry, Director Oguri was there.  He let me know in no uncertain terms that he believed I was behind all the recent attacks.”  Tetsurou understood why Daichi had been so irritated previously and why they had wanted to keep them all separated.  It was to get Daichi alone.

 

“Do you want me to beat him up for you?”  Tetsurou asked because he could see that whatever the director had said still bothered Daichi.  Tetsurou received his name in varying degrees of a scolding tone by everyone in their small group.  But Daichi was smiling a little easier so it was worth it.

 

“Are you going to defend my honor?”  Daichi asked, the last dredges of anger slipping from him as he teased Tetsurou.

 

“Yeah babe, I love you and would die for you.”  Tetsurou gave Daichi his best leer.  Everyone groaned around them as Daichi laughed and pushed Tetsurou’s face away from his own.

 

“You’re the worst.”  Daichi said but there was no heat in his voice.  For a group that just came from a fight that ended with a couple bodies they looked rather fine.  Except for the white gauze wrapped around Daichi’s forearms, which was only visible because his suit jacket had been lost somewhere along the way, there had been no outward sign they had even been in a fight.

 

Perhaps because Tetsurou was looking down at that gauze is why he noticed something peeking out from it.  He reached out to grab Daichi’s hand gently as he turned it to see a red rash and blisters spreading down the back of his hand.  A question was on Daichi’s tongue but he too noticed the rash.

 

“It looks like heat rash.”  Kai said in an odd tone because if anything it was chilly outside.  Daichi turned his hand over, squeezing it into a fist and spreading his fingers.

 

“I can’t feel it.”  Daichi admitted warily before his head snapped up, looking towards the tops of the buildings before taking off running down the street.

 

Tetsurou followed behind him, with the rest of their small group picking up the rear. Daichi made his way down different alleys until about ten minutes later they all came out on a street that was much warmer than any of the others had been.

 

A building down the block was set ablaze.  The only reason Tetsurou knew this area was because he had visited it often.  With sudden horror he realized the building that was on fire housed the Sawamura tree.  The always growing, massive magical tree that had sprouted up from Daichi’s death spot.

 

Tetsurou glanced down to Daichi’s hand, which was free of any heat rash before they started to make their way through the gathered crowd to the police barricade.  People moved out of the way when they saw the members of Karasuno and the police did not even ask for IDs as they let them through and to where the police and fire department had set up a small tent away from the building.

 

“No matter what we toss at it, it’s like the fire consumes it.”  The Chief of the Fire Department explained.  He was in full gear, soot and ash caked him and he was dripping sweat.  The men around him looked to be faring the same fate.  “It spread too quickly and by all estimates it should be moving on to the buildings next to it.”

 

“I don’t think this is a regular fire, call the Agency and have them bring as many Weather Mages and Guardians as they can gather.  Noya, Yaku- can you two work together to prevent it from spreading to other buildings?”  Daichi asked.  Both the officers and firefighters looked relieved that someone else was taking over.  “It’s probably too late to save that building but-”

 

“Hey kid!”  Someone shouted in a gruff voice and they all turned to look at the sudden commotion.  A skinny child was running towards them.  Daichi placed his sword on the table before kneeling down to the catch the kid before he could barrel into them.

 

“This is a dangerous place to be, you need to go back behind the barricade.”  Daichi said in a stern but gentle voice.  The boy was shaking and breathing heavily.

 

“You have to save them!”  The boy yelled, shocking them all with the sheer volume as he clung onto Daichi.

 

“Save them?”  Daichi asked as everyone started to speak at once.

 

“The building was said to be cleared.”  A police officer said, looking over at the fire fighters.

 

“We did a check before the fire got too big, it was empty.”  A firefighter defended back.  The boy shook his head.

 

“My class- I thought- I thought they were behind me, but-” Big tears slid down his small face.

 

“What’s your name?”  Daichi asked and waited patiently for the kids sobs to calm down before he answered.  “Touma, what you did was very brave.  Because of you we know that your class is in there, you did a great job.”  Touma nodded, tears still sliding down his face but he was listening carefully to Daichi, his breathing becoming normal the more Daichi spoke.

 

A soft-spoken police officer took Touma a little ways off.  They all turned to look at the blazing building as Daichi rubbed at his face.  Tetsurou watched him for a moment before he began to tug off his tie, not even sure why he had decided to put it back on after the first fight.

 

“Kuroo?”  Yaku asked warily.

 

“Do you think you could cast a shield long enough for us to get in there and check around?”  Honestly Tetsurou wasn’t even sure how the other kids could be alive.  The building was an inferno but he knew Daichi well enough, could tell what that downcast look meant.  He would be going in there no matter what.

 

“Sir, that’s not advisable.”  The Fire Chief spoke up but he didn’t look like he wanted to be saying it.  He looked like he wanted to go in there himself but he didn’t make it to his position and age by being stupid.  He saw the signs they all had seen.  The fire had to be of magical origin so the people best equipped to deal with it were the few Agency members standing around.

 

“If they could have made it underground-” Daichi stopped as he glanced at his team members and then the three Nekoma members.  If anyone knew about the magical tree it would be Daichi.  The heat rash hadn’t appeared on his skin because the tree wanted Daichi to save it, it wanted Daichi to save the people still stuck inside.

 

“This is insane.”  Yaku grumbled but he was loosening his muscles as he warmed up his magic at the same time.  Daichi stared at Yaku and Kai before pressing his lips together to look over at Asahi and Noya.

 

“Noya I need you to stay out here.”  Daichi started to speak over Noya’s objections.  “Someone has to make sure the whole block doesn’t go up in flame.”  Tetsurou knew why Daichi was saying it.  They needed to take as few of people inside the building as possible.  Yaku and Kai would not be talked out of going, not if Tetsurou insisted he was going.  Asahi and Noya both looked like they wanted to argue but they had worked with Daichi long enough, had gained enough respect that they wouldn’t argue with him.  Not in front of a large group of strangers, not even in front of a team they had trained with.

 

Daichi hesitated before grabbing the newly gifted sword off the table and tying it to his belt loop on his side.  They could head back to the Agency building and properly gear up but it would have taken time, time they might not have.

 

They had all pretty much guessed that the fire came from a magical origin but when they walked towards what used to be the front door of the large warehouse and the wall of fire parted to let them through, it pretty much confirmed what they had suspected.  Yaku put up a barrier as they stepped through into the inferno.  The barrier protected them from the actual fire and the smoke, which could kill them just as easily as the fire if they inhaled enough of it, but it didn’t protect them from the blistering heat.

 

“Towards the tree!”  Daichi had to shout to be heard over the fire because it was loud inside the warehouse.  Tetsurou couldn’t help but partially hate that warehouse, so many horrible things had happened there.  They had lost Inuoka here.  Killed between one breath and the next.

 

The tree sprouting up in a place so full of death and heartache gave people hope.  Before the area had been abandoned but slowly business and people started to move back into the newly cleansed area.  Dark feelings no longer plagued those who stayed too long.  Daichi had sacrificed himself to save everyone here.  That someone had purposely and vindictively set the place aflame made Tetsurou angry.  Angrier than he had ever remember feeling.

 

It felt like a personal attack on the people of this area, on those who were sworn to protect them, but most importantly it felt like an attack on Daichi.  The person who had done it hadn’t known that an attack on Daichi was also an attack on Tetsurou.

 

Perhaps because Tetsurou’s emotions were so heightened that his magic had spread itself out, or maybe it would have happened anyways but Tetsurou felt something.  It was making a slow loop around them as they made their way towards the flame engulfed tree.

 

“Something is in here with us!”  Tetsurou shouted because he wasn’t sure how much the others could sense.  Kai shot Tetsurou a look before glancing around him but Tetsurou knew what the other saw.  Nothing but smoke and fire.

 

There were plenty of magical creatures that could summon fire, some that used the fire to hunt.  This didn’t feel like a hunt though, it felt like something was playing with them.  Most magical creatures, just like animals, were neither evil nor good.  They didn’t understand the concept, it didn’t fit into their lives.  Of course there were a few with almost human-intelligence that could understand more human concepts but most of them stayed away from humans.

 

This didn’t feel like a magical creature attack.  It felt very much like something a human would do, a human who was out of their mind but a human no less.  Elemental Manipulation wasn’t all that rare and fire tended to be the most common but Tetsurou had never heard of someone who could do it to this extent.  Fire was uncontrollable in many ways and to keep it from spreading to other buildings meant the person wanted everyone's concentration on this building specifically.

 

One moment Daichi was walking cautiously ahead of them, white button up sticking to his back, and the next he was gone.  Just gone.

 

“A hole!”  Yaku shouted, motioning for them to go in and he would follow.  Kai jumped down without hesitating and Tetsurou gave him a moment to move out of the way before jumping down also.

 

The fall was probably around two meters, a little jarring on Tetsurou’s knees and ankles but the relieving coolness made it worth it.  Yaku landed next to Tetsurou and they both looked up to see the hole disappear.

 

Tetsurou turned to see the spreading and reaching roots of the magical tree.  Little fey lights hung from them, lighting the dark cavern underneath the warehouse.  Huddled up near the middle were about a dozen children around the same age as Touma and two wide eyed women.  The younger of the two stood, putting herself between the children and the strange men.  Tetsurou liked her for her bravery.

 

“My name is Sawamura Daichi-” Daichi started to explain but the young woman made a soft, almost broken noise before jerking towards Daichi, grabbing onto his forearm.

 

“You’re from the Agency?”  The woman asked, though she obviously knew Daichi’s name.  It meant that her school was from the nearby area, where Karasuno was assigned to.  Daichi had spoken at several schools, he always came home smiling when he was assigned to a grade school.

 

“Yes ma’am.”  Daichi smiled as he stepped closer and said something in a soft voice that wouldn’t carry.  The woman, who looked on the verge of crying, stood up straighter and nodded firmly before turning back to her classroom.  “Is this all of them?  


“Yes it is, except for Touma but you said he was safe.”  The woman glanced around at all the terrified faces looking up at her.

 

“Okay.”  Daichi crouched down in front of the children, dragging their attention to him.  He was sweaty and there were dark circles under his eyes but they still stared at him with varying levels of awe.  “I know you’re scared and it’s okay to be scared, I get scared too but we can’t let fear stop us.  We’re going to get you out of here safe and sound but I need you all to be brave for me, alright?”  They all nodded along because what else could they do?  Daichi was a force of nature when he chose to be and right now all that power and intensity was focused on making sure these kids knew he would protect them.  They had no other choice but to believe him.

 

“It’s going to be scary when we get up there but you see that guy over there?  He’s what the Agency calls a Guardian, does anyone know what that means?”  Daichi asked.

 

“Someone- someone who does defensive magic?”  A girl squeaked out.  Daichi gave her a gentle smile as he nodded.

 

“Exactly and the Agency doesn’t give out that title easily.  It takes years of hard work and dedication.  So he’s going to protect you from the fire and you just have to keep moving forward no matter what, alright?”  The two teachers were set up for one in the front and one in the back.

 

Daichi reached up to touch one of the thicker roots, it moved under his hand, pressing closer.

 

“Everyone go straight ahead, we’re going to get as close to the door from down here as we can.”  Daichi instructed as their group moved towards the far left wall.  Tetsurou could feel the heat increasing in the cavern, watched as one by one the little fey lanterns went out.  The tree wasn’t human but Tetsurou knew it must be in unbearable pain right then.  Despite that it was still protecting them, still doing what he could do to protect them as long as possible.  Tetsurou reached up and touched one of the smaller roots, watched as it curled around his fingers like a goodbye.

 

“Remember what I said, keep moving forward.”  Daichi pulled himself out first, leaning a hand down to help Yaku up before Kai and Tetsurou followed them up.  The heat felt even more intense if possible.  Yaku stood strong and true as he held the barrier around them as the rest of them helped the teachers and children out.

 

The first teacher, trembling but holding tight to the child's hand behind her, followed Yaku.  The children seemed to be working on autopilot as they huddled close and followed their teacher.  Daichi had added shields of his own, pulling the magical tattoos off himself.

 

The fire slammed against Yaku’s shields.  For a split second Tetsurou thought he could make out a figure in the flames before it disappeared.

 

They were nearly to the door.  The flames, if possible, seemed to grow larger as if trying to block their way out.  Yaku’s face was a tight grimace as he pushed against the flames, forced his shield to tunnel through them.  The teacher dropped to her hands and knees, instructing the kids to do the same as they crawled out.

 

It was already so loud in the warehouse that Tetsurou almost ignored the sound of something snapping from above them.  Kai grabbed Tetsurou and Daichi by the arm before jerking them out of the way right before a branch four times the size of Tetsurou crashed onto the ground right where they had been standing.  It also effectively cut off their way from the door.

 

The heat and flames pressed closer as Daichi tried to put up a barrier around the three of them.  Tetsurou hoped the children and Yaku had made it out.

 

Something caught Tetsurou’s attention and he turned, planting his feet to give himself a more solid stance as he pulled his magic to himself.  He was already overheated that he almost missed what was happening to his ankle before it was too late.  He jerked back, tossed his magic out at the ground but it was already too late.

 

Tetsurou ignored the sudden pain in his ankle, didn’t want to look at how bad the damage was until they were out of there.  Kai and Daichi hadn’t missed what had happened either.  It had happened quickly but Tetsurou was nearly positive that the flame that had grabbed his ankle and burned him had been distinctly hand shaped.

 

Daichi was staring down at Tetsurou’s ankle before he looked up at the burning branch that was quickly being reduced to mere ash.  Something subtle changed in Daichi’s face, his eyes went a little darker as he reached down to grab the sheath of the katana, his other hand gripping the hilt as he pulled it free.

 

Tetsurou could feel rage that wasn’t his own.  Something that Daichi always kept quietly hidden deep inside of himself.  He thought that amount of rage would scare people away, and maybe it would.  Tetsurou wasn’t scared though because he knew that anger wasn’t directed at him.

 

A stronger barrier formed around them as Yaku nearly ran into them.  Daichi stepped out from the protection and Tetsurou had to put a hand on Yaku’s shoulder to quiet him.  Daichi’s own shields were adequate to protect him, though Tetsurou could tell that the heat and smoke was pressing closer.

 

Something dodged around Daichi, flames licked up his sleeve, burning into his bicep but Daichi didn’t even flinch as he shifted into a familiar stance.  He closed his eyes and held still as the figure danced around him, too quick for the rest of them to get a good hit on them.

 

Kai’s magic flared next to Tetsurou as the figure suddenly appeared in front of Daichi, fully formed human but also completely ablaze.  Daichi moved swiftly and several things happened at once.  The figure moved forward to attack Daichi, Daichi’s sword was a flash of steel, and Kai’s magic slammed into the figure.

 

“Let’s go!”  Daichi shouted as he moved back into the sphere of Yaku’s protection.  Kai’s magic would have most likely incapacitated the person but as it was he was a half second too late so his magic only hit the body, the head Daichi had cut off rolled along the floor.

 

They made their way out of the burning building.  Without the conductor the fire acted much more like fires are supposed to but that didn’t mean it was any less dangerous.

 

Cheers came from every direction as they were suddenly crowded around.  At the same time the sky opened up, thunder and lightning racing across the dark clouds as it began to downpour on them.  The Weather Mages, right on time.

 

They were ushered under the protection of the tents, looked over briefly and given oxygen masks.  Tetsurou hadn’t even realized how hard it was to draw breath until the mask was over his nose and mouth.  He leaned against the table as he glanced around.  The EMTs were busy with the dozen or so children and teachers so it would be a while until they were properly looked at, which was fine by Tetsurou.  He needed a couple moments to himself.

 

Daichi wasn’t so lucky.  Once the children spotted him he was suddenly rushed at.  He once again put his sword on the table, the same sword whose blade had looked like it turned to ice right before Daichi cut off their attackers head with it.  Tetsurou had thought it was a trick of the light but the more he stared at the katana, the more he believed his first assumption was right.

 

Daichi looked a little overwhelmed and pleased as he kneeled down to be at the same level of the children, giving them praise that they were brave and he was proud.  Tetsurou watched as everyone around them watched the adorable scene unfold, now that the crisis was over and that the Weather Mages were making quick work of the fire everyone could relax.

 

Suddenly Oikawa appeared with a camera crew, introducing Daichi by name and title.  Daichi looked uncomfortable as he was asked questions, questions that mostly Oikawa answered or the kids shouted out, pressing closer to their new hero.

 

A little ways off Tetsurou caught sight of Director Oguri looking like he was fuming about the current situation.  Next to him stood the taller and willowy figure of Administrator Suzuki.  Suzuki had a hand on Oguri’s shoulder, as if trying to prevent or talk to the older man down.  Tetsurou turned back to Oikawa with his arm around Daichi’s shoulder and felt like hugging the other demon.

 

Oikawa must have seen Oguri on a warpath and brought the news crew over to give an interview.  Oguri might be spitting mad but not even he would yell at a Agency member who was being crowed as a hero on national television.

 

Tetsurou leaned to the left, thought he had seen someone familiar in the crowd but they were gone.  He shrugged and turned back to the news crew.

 

Oikawa and Daichi made quite the pair.  Oikawa was dressed in a tailored suit that fit him perfectly, his hair was immaculately done and he looked just about as charming and personable as he could be.  Next to him Daichi was covered in ash, drenched from their two seconds in the rain, with gauze on his forearms and a hesitant smile on his face.

 

Tetsurou, Kai, and Yaku decided it would be best if they headed back to their own building to give their reports, otherwise they might be stuck at Section Five for longer than any of them wanted.  Tetsurou managed to catch Daichi’s eye before they snuck off.  Noya was sitting on the back of the fire truck, looking exhausted with Asahi by his side and they gave Tetsurou a nod as he walked past.

 

“I’m sorry but are we really not going to talk about how he closed his eyes before cutting someone's head off?”  Yaku asked in his usual grumpy tone, but there was no real distrust or anger in his voice.  “He closed his eyes and sensed when he was about to be attacked!”  Yaku continued in disbelief.

 

“He is truly terrifying.”  Kai stated with his calm smile in place.  “I’m glad he’s on our side.”

  
  
  


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Much later that night, almost into the next morning was when Tetsurou saw Daichi again.  Tetsurou had gone to the apartment that Daichi shared with Terushima and showered before beginning to make sandwiches that were easy to make and easier to store away for Daichi to eat when he got home.

 

Tetsurou had given all his verbal reports but Nekomata had sent him home early to rest.  The written reports could wait until tomorrow and Tetsurou had been glad for the break.

 

After eating Tetsurou had changed before crawling into a bed that smelled of him and Daichi.  He pulled Daichi’s pillow closer and let himself fall asleep rather quickly.

 

Tetsurou woke up when Daichi laid down next to him.  Tetsurou rolled until he was halfway on top of the shorter man and smirked down at him.  Daichi looked tired but otherwise fine.  There were new wrappings on his arm and most of the small cuts on his face were gone.

 

“You saw Suga?”  Tetsurou guessed.  He doubted the Med-Mage would let Daichi get away with walking around covered in wounds.

 

“More like he cornered me in the shower.”  Daichi gave Tetsurou a disappointed look when all Tetsurou did was laugh at that.  Suga was smart and had known Daichi long enough to know that the man wouldn’t ask to be healed if he didn’t think the wounds were life threatening.  “I was naked and wet Tetsu.”  Tetsurou just laughed harder at that, burying his face in Daichi’s neck.  He felt more than heard Daichi laugh underneath him.

 

“Do you want me to beat him up too?”  Tetsurou offered, shifting his body so he was more hovering above Daichi instead of resting all his body weight against the other man.  Daichi was strong but Tetsurou was not exactly light.

 

“No, you’d lose and that would be embarrassing.”  Daichi grinned up at him as Tetsurou gave him an offended look.

 

“I mean you’re right but you don’t have to say it.”  Tetsurou grumbled before he started to place soft kisses along Daichi’s jaw.  “Did you find the sandwiches I left for you?”

 

“Yes, thank you.”  Daichi tilted his head, giving Tetsurou better access as one of his hands buried itself in the hair at Tetsurou’s nape and the other curled into the fabric of his shirt.  “I made some of the tea Kiyoko sent me.”  The tea that helped with sleeping.  Tetsurou had full trust in Kiyoko’s concoctions.

 

“Is that your way of telling me you’re too tired to fool around?”  Tetsurou asked, backing up to stare down at Daichi.  He wouldn’t be offended if Daichi said yes.  He liked being with Daichi in that way, of feeling the other man bare and willing against him but he cared so much more about Daichi’s health than feeding his need to feel Daichi.

 

“No, but she said it takes about half an hour to take effect so you’re going to have to go a little faster.”  Daichi’s grin was big and warm.  What had started off as a bad day had turned itself around when they had managed to rescue those kids.  Tetsurou felt his heart twist from that smile, from the warmth Daichi practically oozed.

 

“A quickie?”  Tetsurou settled himself more firmly against Daichi, planting his knees on either side of Daichi’s hips.  “I feel like I’m 17 again.”

 

“Had many quickies at 17 did you?”  Daichi asked with a quirked eyebrow.

 

“Shush shush, no time for that, we have 30 minutes until you’re unconscious and I’m left taking a cold shower by myself.”  Tetsurou smirked as Daichi laughed beneath him, his belly pushing against Tetsurou’s.

 

“You really need to work on your bedroom talk.”  Daichi commented as Tetsurou smoothed his hands up Daichi’s shirt.

 

“I don’t think so, it works for you and that’s all that matters to me.”  Tetsurou commented as he pressed their bodies closer.  Daichi groaned softly, a breathless laugh escaping him.

 

“Okay, I admit that was pretty good.”  Daichi admitted as he helped Tetsurou out of his shirt.  “What else you got?”  Tetsurou smirked down at Daichi and set out to prove exactly what else he had for him.

  
  
  


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Tetsurou woke up once more to a barely lightening room and an empty spot beside him.  He sat up and rubbed tiredly at his face.  The clock on his phone told him he had managed to get about four hours of sleep, which meant the person who should be right next to him had gotten even less.  Less than that because Tetsurou had gotten to the apartment around eight and slept for a couple hours before Daichi had gotten home after him.

 

Tetsurou winced as his barefeet met the cold floor but he didn’t bother with his slippers as he quickly pulled on his previously discarded clothes before making his way out of the bedroom and towards the living room, where the lights were on.

 

Daichi was sitting at the coffee table once again, papers and laptop open before him but he wasn’t doing much of anything besides staring at some point that was left of the TV.  Tetsurou crouched next to him, gently cupping his face before turning it to him.

 

The dark circles were more pronounced and there were the beginnings of a beard that Daichi always shaved off every morning.  Tetsurou carefully traced one dark circle with his thumb as Daichi leaned into the touch, his eyes closing and looking like he could fall asleep just like that.  Tetsurou knew the other man wouldn’t though.  By all means Daichi should be dead to the world by now.  He was exhausted, both in body, mind and magic.  Kiyoko’s tea should have helped with anything that was stopping Daichi from sleeping before.

 

“I don’t know what’s going on, it’s never been this bad before.”  Daichi admitted, opening tired eyes to look up at Tetsurou.  Daichi often suffered from bouts of insomnia.  It was the curse of a good man forced to do what he must to protect those around him.

 

“You don’t sleep at all?”  Tetsurou asked, knowing the answer but just needing it to be clarified.

 

“No, I try but I can’t.”  Daichi sighed, pulling his face away from Tetsurou’s light hold before rubbing hard at his eyes.  “I’ve been managing to get a couple hours here and there at the office.”  He admitted softly.

 

“Okay.”  Tetsurou scratched at his cheek before standing up.  “Okay, get ready.  I’ll take you to the office and hopefully you can get a couple hours of sleep there.”  It was a testament to how tired Daichi was that he didn’t question Tetsurou’s directions.  Didn’t wonder why he could sleep at the office but not his own home.

 

Tetsurou was selfishly glad that Daichi didn’t question him.  He wasn’t sure but he had a couple ideas and he would need a couple hours in the apartment alone to figure it out.  It was easy to get Daichi dressed and pack up a change of outfit for him before he was gently ushering the other man out of the flat.

 

During a more normal time Tetsurou wouldn’t be too worried about Daichi’s lack of sleep.  They were in the Agency after all, they had all the resources at their fingertips to figure out what was happening to him.  But Tokyo seemed to be under attack, an attack that was looking more and more like it was aimed at Daichi every day.  Daichi couldn’t afford slowed reflexes due to exhaustion.  He needed to be at the top of his game and currently he was nowhere near it.

 

There was a small amount of activity at the Agency building even during the early hours of the morning.  No one questioned them as they made their way up to Daichi’s office, where a small couch waited for Daichi.  Tetsurou pulled the thin blanket off the back of the couch and laid it over Daichi.

 

“I’m going to go down to the cafeteria and get you some food.”  Tetsurou said as he ran his fingers lightly through Daichi’s hair.  It was a little longer than Daichi usually let it get, which was also a worrisome sign.

 

Tetsurou left the office and made his way down to the cafeteria.  He wasn’t surprised to see Ennoshita sitting off in the corner with a tall man Tetsurou couldn’t name.  Tetsurou vaguely remembered Daichi telling him that the leader of Datekou had a crush on his empath.  The tall man did have the build of someone who could be in Datekou, a team known for most of their members having Giant blood in them.

 

“Kuroo?”  Ennoshita asked as he approached Tetsurou, who was busily piling a plate full of food.  Tetsurou was slightly surprised at that.  Ennoshita had never sought out Tetsurou before.  Tetsurou thought it was because he was a demon and Ennoshita an empath, Tetsurou had no idea what sort of emotions the empath felt from him.

 

“Did you need something?”  Tetsurou asked after a couple moments of silence.  Ennoshita glanced around the mostly empty cafeteria before stepping closer.

 

“This might just be nothing but please watch out for Sawamura.”  Ennoshita said and continued on when Tetsurou did nothing but stare at him.  “I can’t be positive but I- yesterday I only got a trace of it and it was gone before I could look into it but I think another empath influenced Sawamura’s emotions yesterday.”  Tetsurou stood up a little straighter as he raised an eyebrow down at the shorter man who looked so much like his Daichi.

 

“How is that even possible?”  Tetsurou asked because it really shouldn’t be.  Of course Tetsurou had known there were those who could influence others emotions, plant memories in their minds, those kind of things but the person had to be very susceptible to it.  Something Daichi was not, even exhausted Tetsurou found it hard to believe that anyone could make Daichi feel something he didn’t want to feel.

 

“I told you I’m not even sure this is right but Sawamura’s been tired lately and right after the fight yesterday someone could have amplified some of his more negative emotions.”  Ennoshita tried to explain something that quite clearly was instinctual for himself.  Tetsurou choose to believe the younger man.  Ennoshita looked like he was half asleep most of the time but Daichi had complete faith that Ennoshita would be a great team leader after he left.  Tetsurou had seen the younger man have Daichi’s back multiple times, there was clear respect and love for his leader.

 

“Do you know who could have done it?”  Tetsurou asked.  He could sense other demons, he wasn’t sure if it worked the same way with empaths.

 

“No, not unless they did it in front of me or tried to influence me.”  Which no one would do because Ennoshita’s file labeled him as an empath.  Tetsurou thought of the interviews they were subjected to the previous day, how Daichi had come out aggravated and snappish.

 

What would be the point in making Daichi feel more irritated then he was?  It seemed like such a mild emotion, something Daichi had gotten over in a relatively short time period.

 

“Thank you Ennoshita.”  Tetsurou said with real feeling.  Ennoshita bowed in a jerky motion before quickly making his way back over to his friend, who had watched the whole scene with clever eyes.

 

Tetsurou made his way back up to Daichi’s office with a bag of food in tow.  If Ennoshita thought it was important to tell Tetsurou about a possible threat then most likely he had told the other senior members of Karasuno.  Most likely Ennoshita had informed Daichi also, there was no point in keeping the other man in the dark and if Ennoshita was right then it could be dangerous and foolish to not let Daichi know.

 

Halfway to the office Tetsurou thought of another question for Ennoshita.  Could empaths somehow keep someone from sleeping?  Tetsurou didn’t think so, not without constant contact but after he was done dropping off the food he decided to go down and ask Ennoshita just to make sure.

 

Daichi was asleep when Tetsurou entered the dark office.  Tetsurou mentally cheered as he left the bag of food on Daichi’s desk.  He quickly wrote out two notes, one for Daichi and a Do Not Disturb sign he put on the door.  If it was an emergency no one would let the sign deter them but it would stop any cleanup crew or overzealous person from barging in and disturbing Daichi from his much needed rest.

 

Tetsurou formed a plan as he made his way to the train station to take him to Section Ones Agency building.  He would finish his work as quickly as he could, leave instructions with Kenma for the rest of the team, and then go back to the flat to tear it apart.

 

It seemed like the most likely option.  Someone was targeting Daichi and having him exhausted would severely weaken him.  If Daichi could sleep at his office then it meant someone could have spelled the flat, or something in the flat, to prevent Daichi from resting.

 

Tetsurou was going to find whatever it was then use that item to lead him right back to whoever was targeting his Daichi.  Then he would make them regret it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter seems all over the place, it was giving me such a hard time. It just did not want to be written but I aint no quitter. (That's a lie. I quit like 6 times. That's why it took a month and half to finish a single chapter.)
> 
> Thank you so much **audriel** for editing this chapter!!


	9. Kuroo Tetsurou and Calling the Snake

“I don’t know why you bothered to come if you’re just going to be on your phone the whole time.”  Tetsurou grumbled, though there was no real spite in his tone.  Tetsurou had been only partially surprised that Kenma had tagged along to check out Terushima and Daichi’s flat.  He didn’t mind the extra pair of eyes and insight, and he much preferred looking over everything himself anyways but he did like to prod and poke at Kenma when he could.

 

“Internet connection is quick here.”  Kenma noted softly, completely ignoring Tetsurou’s grumblings, which was to be expected.  Tetsurou smirked at that as he ran his fingers along the doorframe leading into Daichi’s room.

 

Kenma had smartly pointed out that if someone were to spell the flat, it would be easiest to do it in one of the doorframes.  Tetsurou wasn’t sure how someone could slip past all of the security measures set up, but the people who seemed to be behind the attacks had a lot of power.  It would be difficult to get into the flat, Terushima had purchased it because it was supposed to be the most secure apartment building in Tokyo, but not impossible.  Putting magic in the doorframe meant that it would hit Daichi every time he walked through it.  

 

Tetsurou was used to being able to sense magic, small or big.  He had never been surprised by magic, he thought it would be a relatively easy thing to find it once he put his mind to it but that just didn’t seem to be the case.

 

Tetsurou had taken over two hours to check every crevice and nook in the living room.  He had checked out the hall, though there wasn’t much in it, before opening the door to Daichi’s room.  There had been a notepad in the living room full of Terushima’s drawings and notes, it had traces of Terushima’s own magic attached to it.  There was a good luck charm on one of the bookcases with the barest hint of magic that came from someone who felt warm and caring.

 

It was frustrating to say the least.  Tetsurou knew he could sense magic and something that was preventing Daichi from sleeping should be oozing toxins.  Enough that Tetsurou shouldn’t even have to really search it out.

 

“A cursed object could do it.”  Kenma stated, he stood in the doorframe before backing up to sit against the hall wall to stay out of Tetsurou’s way while he picked apart the room.  Tetsurou thought about it as he pulled the pillows out of their cases.

 

“Wouldn’t Daichi have known it was cursed?  Or at least known that he was cursed after touching it.”  Tetsurou asked, not disbelieving but working through the problem.

 

“It could have been delayed.” Kenma let his hands holding his tablet fall into his lap as he slowly put his thoughts into words.  Tetsurou gave him the time to do so, continued looking through Daichi’s bedroom and remaining silent.  “He could have been cursed months or even years ago until the right conditions were met to activate it.  It could have also been a two part spell.  The first to stop him from sleeping and the second to make him forget.”  Both options were plausible.  Tetsurou had seen plenty of cursed objects during his time working for the Agency.  Some were ancient but a lot were made from bitter hearts.  A boy cheated on a girl so she cursed his hair brush to make him slowly lose his hair every time he used it.  But that was the problem, most modern day curses were small, mostly harmless things.

 

“He doesn’t seem to have a problem sleeping in other places than here.”  Tetsurou said as he turned over the mattress and ran his hands over the seams, looking for any place that might have been cut or ripped open where someone could shove something into the mattress itself.

 

“Maybe preventing him from sleeping all together was too big of a spell.”  Kenma thought outloud.  Making it more specific by not letting him sleep while he was in his own bed would make the spell easier.  Spells were usually fairly specific, it helped prevent mishaps.  It was like asking a Genie for a wish.  A person could wish to be famous and end up dying horribly the next day.  They would be famous, just not in the way they planned.

 

The problem was Tetsurou did not know enough about spells and curses to be sure of anything.  He knew someone who did know and he just didn’t feel quite so desperate as to call them.  At least not yet.

 

“But why?”  Tetsurou asked as he flipped the mattress back over after searching the box spring too.  “To try and weaken him?  It’s not as if he isn’t constantly around other Agency members.”  Other members who would be perfectly willing to protect and aid him if he needed it.

 

“I think you’re looking at it the wrong way.”  Kenma said softly as he went back to typing on his tablet.  Tetsurou went to the dresser and started to open it up and pull out various articles of clothing.

 

“Okay you got me, what am I missing?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“If someone was trying to weaken Sawamura I doubt they would put so much effort into making him lose sleep, even exhausted he’s plenty capable of defending himself.”  It was something Tetsurou knew but he felt a wave of pride hearing Kenma say it.  “What else does sleep deprivation do, Kuro?”  Tetsurou stood up straight because it was so obvious and he had missed it by a mile.

 

“Without sleep he could seem unhinged.”  Tetsurou stated.  Mood swings, hallucinations, impaired judgement, and a list of other symptoms.  Not to mention Daichi looked exhausted.

 

“Here.”  Kenma held out his tablet, Tetsurou’s hand snapped away from his ankle where he had been scratching without realizing it.  A Med Mage had taken the third degree burn where the pyro had touched him and made it into something a little more manageable.  Suga was an anomaly amongst Med Mages.  Suga healed all wounds completely, which took a lot of magic and concentration to see it through to the end.  Most Med Mages didn’t even bother with small wounds and they only healed big ones to the point where no one would die from it.  A medic took over after, dressing the wound and telling the patient how to care for it.  The burn on Tetsurou’s ankle itched like crazy and twinged with every movement, but it was just a minor burn now so he dealt with it.

 

“What is it?”  Tetsurou crossed the room to grab the tablet, looking it over.  “This is the man who burnt down the Tree and tried to kill some innocent kids?”  Tetsurou asked, though he already knew the answer as he looked through the profile Kenma had pulled up.  It seemed there wasn’t a moment in the man’s 30 years that he wasn’t getting into trouble in one form or the other.

 

“Go to his listed schools.”  Kenma advised.  Tetsurou flipped through pages on the tablet until he got to the beginning of the man’s life.  Tetsurou swore because he knew the name of the high school, as did Kenma because he had been working with Tsukishima to go through everyone in Daichi’s past.

 

“They went to the same high school?  These people are reaching that far back?”  Tetsurou asked in disbelief.  Miura Shun had attended the same high school as Daichi for two and half years.  He was in constant trouble for minor offenses, talking back to the teacher or starting fights.  Until he was kicked out of school before he could graduate.

 

“You know something that isn’t in that file.”  Kenma stated, sitting up straighter as Tetsurou pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting off an oncoming migraine.

 

“Daichi never said his name but he got into a fight with the captain of the basketball team once.  Parents were called in, grandparents in Daichi’s case and he was suspended for a couple days.”  Daichi had felt awful for disappointing his grandparents.  Tetsurou thought that was what made the other man grow up far too quick.

 

“Go back to the autopsy.”  Kenma said after a moment's pause, digesting the new information.  Tetsurou did as he was told.  Death was decapitation, crystallization in the neck wound would suggest it was frozen as it was cut.  Tetsurou made a mental note to ask Daichi more about Tanaka’s former girlfriend and how exactly she knew Daichi would need a sword.  Not having the sword wouldn’t have stopped Daichi, Miura was a dead man the second he decided to involve innocents in his plan, but it was unlikely they would have gotten away with just a couple burns between them.

 

“He had the same markings as the others we’ve caught.”  Tetsurou read with a frown.

 

“I don’t think that this was a part of the plan.”  Kenma guessed, looking uncomfortable that he had to do so.  Kenma didn’t like guess-work, he preferred hard facts and logic but nothing they had learned was adding up.  “I think this was revenge on Miura’s part.”  It made sense.  The attack on the Sawamura Tree felt more personal than anything that’d come before it.  Even the initial attack against Koutarou had been more professional, taking out whom they saw as the biggest threat.  The tree didn’t provide Daichi with extra protection or power but it was publicly known it was his.  It was obvious to anyone that Daichi would be the one to respond to the attack.  Another thing was the whole thing felt like Miura was playing with them.  He even grabbed Tetsurou’s ankle and even though it resulted in a bad burn, there were much other useful ways to disable an opponent.

 

“He overestimated himself.”  Tetsurou guessed.  Miura had probably believed the carvings on his skin gave him more power than Daichi, which most likely they did.  But it didn’t change the fact that Miura wasn’t using his head and that he wasn’t trained.  The extraction of the kids had been nearly easy.

 

Tetsurou handed the tablet back over to Kenma before continuing his search.  There was nothing more to say about Miura.  He was an enemy and now he was dead.

 

“You know someone who could help with this.”  Kenma didn’t even look up from the screen of his tablet.  Tetsurou felt his face twist into an expression that probably wasn’t too friendly.

 

“I’m not that desperate.”  Tetsurou muttered as he continued to thoroughly check Daichi’s room.

 

“Yet,” Kenma mumbled quietly but Tetsurou still heard him.  Tetsurou knew Kenma was right, even though he wouldn’t admit it outloud.  The more Tetsurou searched the flat the more he realized how uninformed he was.  He didn’t know much about spells and curses, Tetsurou was magic, he learned enough to assist him with his job but mostly he put his concentration in other parts.

 

There was one person Tetsurou knew who did know all about spells and curses.  A person Tetsurou had known practically his entire life, a friend of the family.  Someone who had no magical abilities himself, was as human as they came but informative he was.  He worked for a think-tank that spanned the globe.

 

Two hours into the search and Tetsurou was just desperate enough to pull out his phone as he sat down heavily on the couch.

 

“Well this is an unexpected surprise, what do I owe the pleasure of a phone call from the great Kuroo Tetsurou?”  A slimy voice asked.  Tetsurou was very tempted to hang up there and then but it was for Daichi.  For Daichi, Tetsurou would bite his tongue and even be pleasant to the bastard.

 

“Hello to you too Suguru.”  Tetsurou had no idea how to explain what lay between Daishou Suguru and himself.  They weren’t friends but they didn’t exactly hate each other either.  Tetsurou wouldn’t call someone he hated for help, that wouldn’t make any sense.  They just seemed to rub each other the wrong way, mostly on purpose and sometimes things got vicious.  Tetsurou had to admit, at least to himself, the reason they couldn’t get along was because they were far too alike.  It was almost unfortunate that their mothers were good friends since high school.

 

“Oh?  Are you dying?”  Suguru asked in his normal fake-cheery voice that always managed to get under Tetsurou’s skin.  There were just certain people in the world, those people that a person couldn't stand.  They couldn't say why or pick out what it was, but even just having that person smile at them made them angry.  “There’s no other reason for you to be so pleasant to me.  Unless of course you want something.”

 

Tetsurou wanted something alright.  To be face-to-face with the slimy git so he could knock the smirk right off his snake-like face.

 

“If you’re going to be a prick about it I’ll just hang up now.”  Tetsurou ground out, forcing himself not to needle Suguru back.  The problem with having a lifelong rival was that they’d known each other for their entire lives.  They knew exactly how to annoy the other, how the other person thought and felt, and all their weaknesses.  Tetsurou knew Suguru had one blaring weakness, but he wanted the others help so he would keep that to himself.  At least for now.

 

“No you won’t.”  Suguru said with assurance.  “Or you would have hung up already.  Better yet, you wouldn’t have called me at all unless you had no other options.”  They both knew that for the partial lie it was.  Tetsurou did have other options.  He could do the research on his own or he could ask one of the office members to help him but despite how irritating Tetsurou found Suguru, he knew the other man.  Trusted him to be truthful with him.  Trusted him to keep any secrets Tetsurou needed him to keep.

 

“How long are you going to be an asshole until you help me then?”  Tetsurou tried to keep his voice relaxed, to pretend Suguru wasn’t affecting him at all.

 

“At least a couple minutes, a minute added on for each insult.”  Suguru gave a fake loud sniffle.  “Name calling hurts my feelings you know.”

 

“Like you can feel anything you cold-hearted-” Tetsurou was cut off by a distinctly feminine voice in the background, a familiar voice though he hadn’t heard it in a couple years.

 

“Hello Tetsu!”  Mika greeted after a slight shuffling noise.  She had clearly put the phone on speaker and Tetsurou was relieved, though he was partially surprised.  Mika was Suguru’s glaring weak spot, especially after their divorce.  It was difficult being ordinary in a world full of magic, Suguru had a particularly hard time with it.  He used his admittedly big brain to get ahead in the world, though not without struggling.  Putting all of his focus on work meant that other aspects of his life floundered, like his marriage.

 

“Hey Mika.”  Tetsurou said, hoping Suguru could hear his grin in his voice.  “I was just calling Suguru for some advice.”

 

“And he was giving you a hard time, wasn’t he?  Honestly you two, you’re pushing past 30 you do realize?”  Mika huffed out, though it was mostly for show.  Tetsurou thanked his lucky stars for Mika being there.  It was not as if Suguru would behave himself any better but Mika would force him to give straight answers instead of dragging Tetsurou through the mud for each other.  “Well go ahead.”

 

“Is it about that boyfriend of yours?”  Suguru asked.  Tetsurou wasn’t surprised.  Their mothers talked often, and most likely shared what their sons were doing.  Suguru was also nosy and he had all kinds of access to private information.  “He’s run into a bit of trouble this year.”

 

“Dai!”  Mika scolded.  “Sorry Tetsu, go ahead with your questions.”  Tetsurou forced himself to relax into the couch as he laid out Daichi’s current sleeping problem, along with some smaller details about what was happening around them so it would paint a clearer picture.

 

“Sounds like it’s tied to his flat.”  Mika offered up, which Tetsurou had guessed.

 

“But you couldn’t find anything?”  Suguru asked doubtfully.  Suguru knew how well Tetsurou sensed magic, he had actually been the person to suggest that he used that to his advantage when fighting someone.  It was that suggestion that gave Tetsurou the idea to do Rebound Magic.

 

“I’ve done basically everything besides pulling up the floorboards and knocking down walls.”  Which was extreme.  If someone had put something in the floors or in a wall someone would have noticed the construction.  When Terushima wasn’t at his office he was home.  That thought gave light to something for Tetsurou.  “Daichi’s roommate has been spending less time at home.”  Which was very odd.  After learning of Terushima’s past it became obvious why Terushima stuck close to home.

 

“He could have been feeling the magic without even realizing it.”  Suguru hummed as he thought.  Both Tetsurou and Mika stayed quiet to give him time to think.  “If something was cursed you would have found it even before you went looking for it.  Doubtful even your boy would overlook it.  It has to be black magic.”

 

“What?”  Tetsurou and Mika both exclaimed at the same time.

 

“Something that would affect both roommates but not you?”  Suguru knew that black magic did not work the same against Tetsurou as it did against most humans.  “If it’s been over a week of this happening then it’s most likely black magic at hand.  Someone would have to continually feed power into the spell for it to affect your boy consistently.  It must be focused on the apartment and then secondarily on Sawamura.  It explains the absence of the roommate too, even if he can’t sense magic the way you can.  Non-magicked people have deep seeded instincts, perhaps even more so than magicked individuals because they don’t have the option of fighting back with magic.  When a non-magicked person feels the presence of dark magic their instinct tells them to leave.”

 

“Daichi wouldn’t ignore his instincts if they were telling him something was wrong with his home.”  Tetsurou argued though he trusted what Suguru was saying.

 

“Wouldn’t he though?”  Suguru asked.  “By all accounts Sawamura Daichi is a force of nature.  He’s powerful.  Even though he might seem aware and guarded, he’s used to his magic being able to protect him.  His home is where he’s allowed to drop that guard, if someone was patient enough, they could slowly increase the level of power in the spell.”

 

“Until what?”  Tetsurou asked, knowing Suguru wasn’t finished speaking even though he had paused.

 

“Until the magic saturated not only his flat but his clothes, his items, his very body.  Him being unable to sleep wouldn’t just stop at his doorstep, it would force him to stay awake everywhere.”  Suguru didn’t bother to mention how dangerous that was.  Tetsurou knew how much the human body needed sleep.

 

“So how do I counteract the spell then?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“You don’t.”  Suguru’s voice took on a sharp edge and Tetsurou took a moment to read between the lines.  Suguru wouldn’t say it because Mika was in the room but Tetsurou knew what he meant.  There was no way to purify the apartment now, no way to put up a barrier, it was already everywhere.  The only way to stop it was to find the person responsible and stop them.

 

“What do I do now?”  Tetsurou asked because he already was planning on finding the person who was trying to frame or hurt his Daichi and make them stop by whatever means necessary.

 

“Get him out of the apartment and make him stay somewhere else.”  Suguru suggested.  “Somewhere preferably with a lot of magic in it.  Whoever has done this has put all their power and concentration into the apartment.  It’ll take them time and effort to put it somewhere else, if that’s even possible right now.”

 

“Thank you.”  Tetsurou said sincerely, already thinking of people whom who Daichi could stay with.

 

“Be careful.”  Mika advised.  Tetsurou agreed then hung up before Suguru could remember that he hadn’t poked fun at Tetsurou in a solid five minutes.

 

Sometime during the conversation Kenma had left, which wasn’t all that surprising.  Tetsurou took a moment to think through how best to handle the situation.  He knew the direct route was most likely the best course of action when it came to Daichi, to state the facts and lay everything out logically.  It was the right thing to do, his head knew it but his heart wanted to protect Daichi.  Daichi, who was so exhausted he practically passed out the moment he was vertical on the couch in his office.  Tetsurou was concerned that with all the attacks, with the burnt down Sawamura Tree that Daichi might try to tackle this problem head on.

 

Then Tetsurou came up with a plan that was a little underhanded, which was his favorite kind of plan.  The chances of Daichi being angry at him for long was unlikely.  After a couple nights of good sleep Daichi would see the truth.

 

Tetsurou stood up and stared off down the hall.  Suguru had mentioned that the spell would eventually seep into everything in the apartment.  He was worried if he took clothes from the apartment and Daichi wore them it would carry some part of the spell with it.

 

Tetsurou grabbed his keys off the counter and walked out of the flat.  He had some shopping to do before he went to Section Five.

 

“Shibayama?”  Tetsurou asked as he walked out of the building.  Shibayama stood up straight from where he had been trying to look casual against one of the trees that lined the road.

 

“Kuroo!”  Shibayama chirped out nervously.  Tetsurou sighed as he rubbed the younger mans head.

 

“So you pulled guard duty, huh?”  Tetsurou asked but it wasn’t really a question.

 

“Gua-” Shibayama cut himself off as his voice came out high pitched and squeaky.  He cleared his throat before looking up at Tetsurou with large dark eyes.  The team had been more protective than usual for the past couple days.  It was why Kenma had volunteered to go to the apartment with him, why whenever Tetsurou left the Agency building someone from his team was conveniently heading in the same direction as him.  “I’m sorry.”  Shibayama bowed his head but Tetsurou just patted his shoulder and started walking down the street.

 

The fact they had chosen Shibayama was almost downright mean.  They knew the little Guardian was just about the only one on the team that Tetsurou had a hard time turning down.  The kid tried so hard and telling him no was like scolding a puppy who didn't know any better.  Made you feel like a monster.

 

“It’s alright ‘yama.  I need some help holding bags anyways.”  Tetsurou grinned down at him.

 

“Holding bags?”  Shibayama asked, losing some of the tension in his shoulders and face when he realized Tetsurou wasn’t going to order him back to the Agency.

 

“We’re going shopping.”  Tetsurou grinned and Shibayama looked suddenly nervous.

  
  
  


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Tetsurou left Shibayama in the canteen with Hinata and a big guy from Datekou with no eyebrows.  Shibayama had regarded the Giant with wariness but if Hinata liked him that was good enough reason for Shibayama to like him.  Tetsurou was glad because he wouldn’t ever leave a team member in a situation where they were uncomfortable even if he needed a bit of time to lay out his plan.

 

Tracking down Iwaizumi was easy enough.  He was well known and liked around Section Five.  People were happy to point out which training center he was currently in.  Tetsurou was glad to see that it seemed to be informal training so he wouldn’t be pulling the other man away from working with his team.

 

“Hey,” Iwaizumi greeted Tetsurou warmly even though there was a clear question in his hazel eyes.  He was using a towel to wipe at the sweat gathered on his face and honestly, he looked like a real life superhero.  The man was ripped.

 

“Hey, I need a favor.”  Tetsurou said with a grin as they went over to stand near the wall of the gym to be out of the way even though the area was mostly empty.  “It’s for Daichi.”  Iwaizumi’s eyebrows rose up on his forehead.

 

“Is this about him not sleeping?”  Iwaizumi guessed.  Despite Iwaizumi’s closeness to Daichi and Tetsurou being close to Tooru, Tetsurou didn’t have much interaction with the other man.  But he knew Iwaizumi cared about Daichi and he was pretty positive he would have no problem accepting the favor Tetsurou was about to ask for.  Plus Tetsurou was positive that Iwaizumi had no ties to whoever was targeting Daichi.

 

“Yes, his apartment isn’t a safe place right now and he needs a safe place to stay.”  Tetsurou had thought about asking someone on Karasuno.  Any of them would happily let Daichi crash with them but Daichi had a lot of pride.  Staying with one of his juniors would hurt that pride.  Asahi and Noya lived together, which left only Suga.  Daichi would never put a target on Suga by staying with him.  Suga had some scary abilities but he was a healer, his instinct was to help not harm and he might hesitate if someone were to attack.

 

Iwaizumi was a skilled fighter, his body a weapon in the most literal sense of the word.  He could defend himself and his home if it came to it.  Plus there was bonus of two other Agency members living there, Hanamaki and Matsukawa.  Or former Agent in Matsukawa’s case.  It meant someone was always likely to be home at the same time as Daichi.  Iwaizumi was also very good at getting through to stubborn people who sometimes forgot to take their own safety into account, case in point one Oikawa Tooru.  Iwaizumi had years of dealing with Tooru, no doubt he could convince Daichi who wasn’t half as prideful, though perhaps twice as stubborn.

 

“So are you telling him or am I?”  Iwaizumi asked with a grin.  Tetsurou liked that Iwaizumi didn’t question it.

 

“It could be dangerous.”  Tetsurou felt the need to warn him.  Iwaizumi glanced over at Hanamaki who was currently beating the sand out of a punching bag.  They had been training together before Tetsurou interrupted.  Hanamaki choose that moment to do a leaping high kick.  It was a move developed decades ago to take out riders on horses.  Hanamaki pulled his foot at the right angle and propelled himself to the side, rolling once before popping back up into a standing position.  If the punching bag had been a person their neck would have been broken by that kick.

 

“Makki is working through some things, I feel kind of bad for anyone who decides to attack while he’s home.”  Iwaizumi shrugged.  Tetsurou felt relieved.  Iwaizumi and Hanamaki were great fighters.  Matsukawa- well, Tetsurou had an inkling that the bushy-eyebrowed man had a little bit of the _Sight_ in him, which meant that he might see an attack coming before it happened.

 

“So far coming up against trained Agency members hasn’t really stopped them.”  Tetsurou stated and he got a not-so-friendly grin in return.

 

“I’ll see to it that no one interrupts his sleep.”  Sometimes Iwaizumi was terrifying.  Tetsurou always suspected the man had a lot of built up anger he kept neatly tucked away in the back of his head, but those type of feelings didn't just disappear.  It seemed like Hanamaki wasn’t the only one working through some things.

 

Tetsurou waved goodbye before searching for his boyfriend.  Daichi was relatively easy to find also, considering he was in his office.  He gave a questioning look to the duffle bag in Tetsurou’s hand but accepted the kiss Tetsurou pressed quickly to his lips with a smile.

 

“I bought ramen from that place you like.”  Tetsurou said before Daichi could ask what the duffel bag was.  They sat down, Daichi clearing off his desk so they could use it as a table.  Tetsurou’s own desk at work was neat but crowded, Daichi’s own office was pretty empty.

 

Tetsurou studied Daichi as they ate.  He had shaved off the beard that had been steadily growing and it made him appear younger, though he still looked tired.  His appetite didn’t seem to be affected as he polished off his own ramen in record time.

 

“So what’s going on?”  Daichi asked as he looked in the bag, finding the second bowl of ramen Tetsurou had gotten him with a satisfied grin.  Tetsurou thought about playing dumb but it was something that needed to be done soon.

 

“I think you should stay with Iwaizumi for now.”  Tetsurou watched Daichi carefully.  The other man didn’t look angry or surprised.

 

“You think there’s something wrong with the apartment?”  Daichi asked.  Tetsurou knew Daichi would figure it out when he got a little bit of sleep in him.  “Did you search it?”  Daichi looked, of all things, amused.  It threw Tetsurou off just the slightest.  He had expected many things but amusement was not one of them.

 

“Yes.”  Tetsurou placed his empty bowl into the bag.  “I called Suguru-’

 

“You actually purposely talked to Suguru?”  Daichi looked like he was trying valiantly not to laugh.  “How did that go?”  Daichi knew how well Tetsurou and Suguru got on, which was infamously not so well.

 

“Mika was there and I think you interested him so he forgot to be an ass for a minute and was actually helpful.”  Tetsurou admitted reluctantly.  “He said it was much easier to tie a curse or spell to a place than you, that you should be safer someplace else.”

 

“Helps if that someplace else has three trained Agency field members living in it too, right?”  Daichi glanced away then met Tetsurou’s eyes once again.  “You have already talked to Iwaizumi, haven’t you?”  Tetsurou ran a hand through his hair as he looked at Daichi, trying to spot any sign of anger or annoyance.

 

There was heat in Daichi’s gaze but it had nothing to do with anger.  It made Tetsurou’s stomach feel like it was dropping somewhere around his feet, his heart picked up speed.  Of all the things Tetsurou expected from Daichi, it was not this.

 

“What?”  Daichi asked, a slow grin spreading across his features.  Tetsurou sometimes forgot how handsome Sawamura Daichi was.  His concern for the other man had overshadowed those feelings, but with Daichi grinning at Tetsurou like he knew exactly what kind of effect he was having on the taller man, Tetsurou couldn’t help but react to that.

 

“Not that I’m complaining but this isn’t really how I expected you to react.”  Tetsurou had gone over mentally every argument he thought Daichi might throw at him.  He had practiced and practiced, had been prepared to beg or bribe or even blackmail for things to turn out his way.  He hadn’t expected it to go easy.

 

“It’s been a long time since someone took care of me.”  Daichi admitted in a soft tone that had Tetsurou leaning forward.  It hit Tetsurou like a punch in the gut and he was on his feet and making his way around the desk before he had even really thought about it.  Daichi raised an eyebrow up at Tetsurou but let the other man take his second bowl of mostly finished ramen and place it on the desk before straddling Daichi’s lap.

 

Sex between the two was mostly filled with humor.  Light teasing and laughter following them along because after long days and even longer weeks it was what they both needed.  A little time to unwind, to not be team leaders in a government organization where so much rode on their shoulders.  Together they were allowed to just be themselves, and themselves tended to be a little bit dorky.

 

But there was no humor when Tetsurou kissed Daichi right then, hoping he could convey with one kiss how much he wanted to take care of the other man.  Tetsurou cupped Daichi’s face and trusted him to keep Tetsurou from falling over.  The chair was of a normal size, which meant that two fully grown and muscular men were kind of pushing its limits of what it was designed to do.

 

“My door doesn’t lock.”  Daichi reminded Tetsurou as they broke apart.  Tetsurou kissed Daichi’s jaw thoughtfully, weighed the pros and cons of continuing on, which he really wanted to do.  It was unlikely that they would have much free time together in the upcoming week or two.  Tetsurou had already taken too much time off work and now Daichi was going to have three roommates.

 

Tetsurou almost allowed it to continue because Daichi was willing and ready beneath him and normally that would be enough for Tetsurou.  But Daichi was already under a microscope and the walls really weren’t thick enough to conceal the noises they would make.  Tetsurou knew they would make noise too, with how heated and wound up both of them were at the moment.

 

Plus Daichi would be mortified if one of his team members walked in on them.  As much amusement as that thought gave Tetsurou, he would never actually follow through with it.

 

So with one last heated kiss Tetsurou stood up on legs he would never admit were a little bit wobbly and made his way back to his own chair.  When Tetsurou sat down he saw Daichi texting on his phone before placing it back, face down, on his desk and grabbing his now cold bowl of ramen.

 

“I got you some new clothes.”  Tetsurou stretched out his legs, ignored the itch of the burn on his ankle.  Unsurprisingly he had forgotten about it while kissing Daichi.  “Suguru said it was unlikely the spell had time to get into the fabric of your clothes but better safe than sorry.”  Tetsurou shrugged as nonchalantly as possible but Daichi wasn’t buying it.

 

“Let me see.”  Daichi demanded but Tetsurou just laughed and shook his head.  Tetsurou did have a habit of buying Daichi the most loud and ridiculous items of clothing he could find, but those were mostly jokes.  The ugly mustard color sweater Tetsurou had gotten Daichi a couple months ago should never have looked good on anyone, but it somehow set off the warm tones in Daichi’s skin and eyes.

 

“I stuck mostly to your boring normal choices.”  Tetsurou promised.

 

“It’s the mostly I’m worried about.”  Daichi grumbled before the door swung up to reveal a fresh-faced looking Suga.  He took in the occupants of the room before giving Tetsurou a positively beaming smile.

 

“Good afternoon.”  Suga greeted them which caused every warning bell in Tetsurou’s head to go off as he looked over at Daichi in an accusing matter.

 

“Don’t think I didn’t see you favoring your left leg.”  Daichi said with a shrug before Suga was kneeling down, knocking away Tetsurou’s hands as he pulled up the leg of his black trousers.  Tetsurou let out a yelp when Suga pinched his thigh.

 

“Stop struggling or I’ll do more than pinch next time.”  Suga warned in a sweet-as-cookies voice that had Tetsurou going immediately still.  “Actually Daichi, get the door.  It’ll be better if you strip so I can give you a proper examination.”

 

“I don’t think you’re a real doctor.”  Tetsurou tried to pull his leg back as Daichi got up and closed the door as instructed.  But Tetsurou allowed Suga to heal the burn, along with a couple other scrapes and bruises he had picked up along the way.  Behind the amusement in Daichi’s eyes was concern and Tetsurou had to admit, having someone take care of them was quite attractive.

 

Then again there wasn’t much about Daichi that Tetsurou didn’t find attractive, even if the other man was smothering laughter as Suga poked and prodded at Tetsurou in a way that made Tetsurou feel like he was 10 years old again being scolded by the school headmaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever get that feeling that things are about to go real bad, real fast?
> 
> You should.
> 
> Sorry this chapter is so short too and it's taking me so long to get these chapters out. I'm trying.
> 
>  **audriel** thank you so so much for editing this!!


	10. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Jail Break

Tetsurou cackled as Kai spun a tale about one of his first cases involving a lizard-woman.  It was a complete fabrication but he had the younger members of the team hanging on to his every word.  Kai wasn’t normally one to tease their juniors, but sometimes Lev made it just a little too easy.  He had asked for previous assignments, when Kai belonged to another team in another life.  Most of it was classified, the Agency frowned upon anyone sharing information like that, which Lev was well aware of.  So Kai told a tale that entertained everyone and harmed no one by its telling.

 

Nekoma claimed one of the many meeting rooms in the Agency’s building every couple of weeks.  It was difficult to get the entire team together, but Tetsurou had made it a priority when he was put in charge.  It was a bonding experience, it let everyone get to know others on the team without being on assignment or training.  It allowed everyone to relax and talk freely.  Some work did get done, but mostly they ate a ton of food and talked for a few hours.

 

It had been Fukunaga’s turn to choose what they ate.  He decided on pizza, which didn’t hurt Tetsurou’s wallet too badly to purchase.  Tetsurou knew that the quiet man chose pizza not because it was a favorite of his, but because it was a favorite of Yamamoto’s.  The two had begun a tentative relationship when they first joined Nekoma.  Relationships were difficult at any point in a person's life, but being so young and being a part of a real Agency team for the first time would put a strain on anyone’s relationship.  They had decided that it was best if they stopped dating before either of them ended up hurt.  Tetsurou thought it was the right decision for them at the time.

 

It didn’t mean that Tetsurou thought it was the right decision to hold on to at the present time.  They were older, more established in their roles at the time and most importantly, Tetsurou was sure the fledgling feelings that were there before were still there.  They were overly affectionate, they didn’t flirt exactly but what they did do was much more subtle.  Like Fukunaga choosing food that he knew Yamamoto liked.  It could be just friendship, but the way they treated each other was different than how they treated Kenma, though the three had entered Nekoma at the same time and were all very close.

 

Tetsurou stayed out of it, choosing to observe from a distance.  He was no matchmaker or cupid, he was likely to do more damage than good when it came to that sort of thing.  Plus Yaku had promised bodily harm if Tetsurou did interfere.  It wasn’t hurting either of them or the team so Tetsurou let it be.

 

Yaku was talking to Shibayama near the end of the table.  Demonstrating a particular shield with his hands, Shibayama was nodding enthusiastically.  For a while Tetsurou believed Shibayama would quit the Agency after Inuoka’s death.  The two had been close and Shibayama had almost seemed lost without the other man there.  Yaku had taken the younger Guardian under his wing.  Tetsurou wasn’t sure what Yaku had said, knew that it wasn’t any one thing but a culmination of many talks with the older Guardian that made Shibayama decide to stay.  He was still unsure of his place in Nekoma, but he was gaining confidence.

 

Lev was hovering over Shibayama, who seemed to be used to the giant half-Russian pressing into his space all the time because he didn’t even flinch as Lev added his own commentary.  Yaku wasn’t quite ready to go completely public with his relationship with the younger man, even though the entirety of Nekoma knew they were tentatively dating.  Yaku did a good job of keeping at least one person between them when in public but Lev was never far from him.  Tetsurou was surprised by how patient Lev seemed to be when it came to Yaku, never pushing for anything more, never forcing contact or conversation.  It was probably why Yaku had such a difficult time.

 

The age difference was Yaku’s main problem.  They were both adults, but Yaku was a bit farther into adulthood than Lev and with Lev’s usual wide-eyed wonder and enthusiasm it was hard for Yaku to put aside the fact that this was his junior.  The innocence wasn’t an act on Lev’s part, but Tetsurou had seen a break in Lev’s puppy-like attitude.  There was a hardness there that promised to turn into something truly terrifying in his later years.

 

It was another thing that Tetsurou didn’t interfere with.  Yaku would work through his insecurities and problems in his own time.  Tetsurou did tease and poke at him when it was safe though.

 

“Hey hey hey!”  Koutarou entered the room with his usual warmth and energy.  Also he had a box of sweets that he placed in the center of the table.  Tetsurou had told him multiple times that Koutarou didn’t need to bribe them to sit in on their mock-meeting.  Koutarou had always been welcomed as quasi-Nekoma member.

 

Koutarou rounded the table and took the empty seat to Tetsurou’s left.

 

“How were the Akaashi’s?”  Tetsurou asked as he reached out to grab a cookie before his team devoured them all and nothing was left.

 

“Great.”  Koutarou said with unusual restraint.  Tetsurou glanced over but saw nothing of alarm.  Koutarou looked happy, genuinely happy.

 

“Told you you had nothing to worry about.”  Tetsurou smirked, knocking his knee against Koutarou’s leg.  Koutarou laughed and scooted down in his chair, letting his legs splay wide.

 

“I don’t know how I got so lucky.”  Koutarou said.  Tetsurou reached over to rub his old friends hair, a bit harder than need be.

 

“Akaashi’s the lucky one.”  And Tetsurou meant it too.  Koutarou was easily one of Tetsurou’s favorite people, anyone would be lucky to have him but he was glad it was someone as deserving as Akaashi.  But Koutarou just snorted and knocked Tetsurou’s hand away before reaching forward for a slice of pizza.  He didn’t even look to see what kind it was before taking a big bite of it.

 

It was easy to fall into a rhythm of teasing and sharing stories.  Kai joined in from Tetsurou’s other side, repeating the story of how Daichi had beheaded someone with his eyes closed in a burning building that was literally collapsing around them.  Kai wasn’t ever one to exaggerate and truly the story needed no embellishments but Koutarou heard the story with half lidded eyes that didn’t quite hide how hard he was listening.  Tetsurou may have downplayed a couple things while Koutarou was away visiting Akaashi’s family.

 

Tetsurou wasn’t unaware that it was most likely Kai’s underhanded way of getting Koutarou involved in everything.  Kai and Yaku were still under the impression that Tetsurou wasn’t being careful enough and wouldn’t listen to either of them.  Undoubtedly Koutarou would be involved in guard duty from no on too.  Tetsurou decided to be amused by it all instead of annoyed.  What was done was done after all.

 

“Having a party with everything that’s going on is in poor taste Kuroo.”  Tetsurou looked up to the door, which Koutarou must not have closed all the way, and saw Miya Atsumu standing there.  Tetsurou only knew it was Atsumu because of his dyed hair and the fact that Osamu hardly bothered Tetsurou, though the other twin stood just behind his brother.

 

“Don’t be upset you weren’t invited, it’s just that- well, no one likes you very much.”  Tetsurou said as he came to his feet and walked around the table.  He planned to slam the door right in Atsumu’s smug face.

 

“Celebrating your boyfriend's arrest?  Did you sell him out for a pat on the head, did they tell you that you were a good little dem-” Tetsurou shut the door with a satisfying slam.  He could hear Atsumu laugh on the other side and Osamu, in a quieter voice, ask if his brother was five years old.

 

“Stupid bloody kitsune hellspawns.”  Tetsurou muttered under his breath before turning back to his team.  It was then that Atsumu’s words fully processed in his head.  He was more likely to ignore everything the other man said, it was more taunts than important information anyways.  While Tetsurou could verbally spar with the best of them, he found the easiest way to get under the other man’s skin was to ignore him completely.

 

 _Celebrating your boyfriend's arrest?_  Atsumu had said, which couldn’t be possible.  Why would Daichi be arrested?  Tetsurou had just seen him a day ago to ask him to move in with Iwaizumi for a little bit.  Daichi had looked exhausted but nothing too alarming.

 

“Sawamura was arrested for illegal use of black magic and owning items that pertain to it.  They searched his apartment yesterday and found an entire box of items.”  Kai said, reading off of his phone.

 

Tetsurou felt like the ground suddenly shifted underneath his feet.  It was impossible, completely impossible.  He turned to leave, to go and do something, anything but something held him back.  He looked down at the pale hand gripping his sleeve and up to Kenma’s face.

 

“Kuro, _think_.”  If it had been anyone else besides Kenma Tetsurou probably would have thrown them off.  But it was Kenma, with his cat-like eyes and soft voice.  He didn’t try to talk Tetsurou out of anything but allowed him to find his own feet, his own path.

 

Think.

 

Tetsurou had searched that entire apartment just a day prior.  There hadn’t been a single black magicked item in that place, let alone enough to fill a box.  Tetsurou had purposely bought Daichi new clothes and toiletries too so he wouldn’t have to go back to the flat.  After Tetsurou asked him to, Daichi wouldn’t have returned.  Tetsurou knew Daichi enough to know that once he gave his word, he kept it.

 

It left a very small window of opportunity for someone to plant something in the apartment.  The apartment, which was highly secure and even more highly monitored.

 

Kenma released Tetsurou’s sleeve, as if he realized that Tetsurou now had a plan of action and wasn’t just going to run around aimlessly shouting Daichi’s innocence.

 

“I’m going to the apartment.”  Tetsurou announced as several people stood up.

 

“Do you think they’ll let you in it?”  Yaku asked dubiously.

 

“I’m not going inside the apartment.”  Tetsurou answered, though his mind was running through a mental list of what he had to do.  “I need to speak with someone.”

 

“I’ll come with you.”  Koutarou said, coming around the table to stand beside Tetsurou.  Tetsurou thought of telling Koutarou he didn’t need anyone to come with him, it might be harder to talk his person into giving what he wanted with other people around but Koutarou had a look about him.  A glance past him told Tetsurou all he needed to know.  If Koutarou didn’t come with him, someone else would.  Koutarou would actually be the best bet.  If there were other Agents at the apartment building they most likely wouldn’t let Tetsurou through, but not many people had the ability to turn away Bokuto Koutarou.

 

“Kenma try to get more information and send me what you find.”  Tetsurou left after that, leaving Kai and Yaku to handle the rest.

 

“Do you think one of the neighbors saw something?”  Koutarou asked as they made their way out of the building.  He slid his phone out of his pocket and began texting, Tetsurou knew the other man was capable of keeping a conversation while texting.  Most likely he was telling Akaashi what was going on and where he would be.

 

“No, I’ve got someone better.”  There was no guarantee his idea would work out.  He wasn’t counting on it to be honest.  Terushima had picked the building not only for its security but also the privacy it allotted.

 

Getting to the building was no problem.  There was a small speed bump when they arrived.  Tetsurou must have been on some sort of no-entry list because there were Agents gathered, vetting people to get into the building.  They stopped him but they were young and no match for Koutarou’s beaming personality and warm smile.

 

Aoi Yukie, the main security guard for the building was just who Tetsurou wanted to see, was standing off to the side with a look on her face that clearly portrayed how unhappy she was to have a bunch of Agency members sitting at her usual desk.  Tetsurou wasn’t sure if that would work in his favor or not, but he was positive he could get it to.

 

Tetsurou didn’t rely on his more demonic traits.  Manipulating people was all fine and good, but he liked to do it with his own words and not with his magic.  Tetsurou liked Aoi and he was hoping she would help him on her own.  It would leave Tetsurou with a bad taste in his mouth if he had to magically manipulate her, but he’d do it.

 

Koutarou would know what Tetsurou was doing too, which wouldn’t be good.  Koutarou was the only completely human person who knew what Tetsurou was capable of.  One time they had gotten drunk back in college and Koutarou had asked Tetsurou to show him what he could do.  It had immediately sobered them both up.  It wasn’t at all like what empaths could do, subtly shifting emotions.  But more along the lines of mind control, except the person remained in complete control, they just wanted to do whatever Tetsurou asked of them.

 

Tetsurou got Aoi’s attention and tilted his head to the side.  Aoi followed with a question in her eyes, over to a more secluded part of the main lobby.

 

“Sawamura’s been arrested.”  Tetsurou said, getting right down to the truth.  Koutarou looked surprised but that was nothing compared to the shock on Aoi’s face.  “He’s being set up, someone snuck in, probably sometime yesterday, and planted evidence.”  Aoi’s eyes narrowed as she looked up at Tetsurou.  It was a small provocation.  It meant someone snuck underneath Aoi’s watchful eyes and Tetsurou was hoping it was enough to make Aoi let them see the footage from the previous day.

 

“Your Agency took all the tapes.”  Aoi said, though it wasn’t an outright denial so Tetsurou let took hope in that.

 

“You have to have backups.”  Tetsurou said.  He wasn’t positive they would, but he knew Aoi well enough.  Knew how paranoid she was and how high tech the building was.

 

“I could get into a lot of trouble if I let you see them.”  Aoi still wasn’t denying him so Tetsurou said nothing back to that.  He knew it was a risk for Aoi.  She could lose her job and all credibility.  But Tetsurou was positive that someone within the Agency itself was purposefully trying to set Daichi up and that those tapes wouldn’t be reviewed properly.

 

Aoi let out a sigh before glancing around and leading them down a short hallway to a door.  Inside was a small room with a couple chairs and multiple monitors.

 

“The hard drive saves a weeks worth of footage.”  Aoi explained as she started typing in a few commands.  “When do you want to view?”  Tetsurou gave her the time after he had left the apartment when he was doing checking it over for black magic.

 

“Bo, I’ll take the lobby footage and you check to see if anyone got off on another floor then took the stairs to the penthouse.  Aoi, could you flag anyone who goes into our flat?”  Tetsurou settled down to watch the footage, sped up.  He knew they didn’t have all the time in the world.  Eventually the other Agency members would wonder where Tetsurou and Koutarou went off to and why they weren’t leaving and they would come looking for them.

 

“The only person who goes into Terushima and Sawamura’s after you’ve left is Ushijima.”  Aoi said, sitting back and rubbing her eyes.  Tetsurou asks her what time and clicked forward on the footage until he can see Ushijima walk into the lobby.

 

The security system was state of the art.  The screen was completely clear, no grainy effect.  Tetsurou knew he could even zoom in on Ushijima’s face and see every freckle.  He watched the large man walk through the lobby and go straight for the elevators.  Tetsurou replayed it again, frowning slightly because something was just slightly off.

 

Tetsurou replayed it a third time and something was caught in the corner of his eye.

 

“Aoi, you greeted him, right?”  Tetsurou asked, though he knew the answer.

 

“Of course, he walked right by me.”  Aoi said with a shrug.  She must be used to being ignored, but she always greeted everyone who came and went.  It was part of her job.  Tetsurou always spared a few seconds to speak with her, with all the security guards.

 

“Has he ever ignored you before?”  Tetsurou asked, speeding through the footage to see Ushijima leave.  Aoi greeted him again but  Ushijima kept walking.

 

“No.”  Aoi raised her eyebrows at Tetsurou.

 

Of course not, because as much as people say Ushijima was socially inept, he wa almost unbearably polite.  He held doors open for people, he always remembered his please and thank yous, and if someone said hello to him, even if he was in a hurry, he would feel compelled to answer back.  Terushima often teased him about it, but it was how Ushijima was raised.  He would never ignore anyone, let alone Aoi who he saw regularly.

 

Tetsurou watched the footage again, both him coming and going from the apartment building.  He narrowed his eyes because the way he walked was just wrong.  Ushijima was a big guy, in height and weight.  He didn’t stomp around when he walked but there was a certain heaviness to his steps.

 

“Kind of walks like he’s wearing high heels.”  Koutarou stated.  Tetsurou turned to Koutarou in surprise because that was it completely.  The weight distribution of his feet was completely off.  It was not to say that all men walked alike or all women walked alike but there were some similarities to be said for them.

 

“Do you have the footage from the hall elevator?”  Tetsurou watched it, they all did silently.  Tetsurou replayed it, watched as Ushijima seemed to unconsciously rub his thumb and middle finger together.  As far as Tetsurou knew, Ushijima didn’t have any such ticks such as that one.

 

Ten minutes.  Ushijima was in and out of the apartment within ten minutes, less than that really.  But something was bothering Tetsurou.

 

“If it’s the same person who pretended to be Akaashi then their face should be blurry.”  But Tetsurou could see every one of Ushijima’s features.

 

“Not necessarily.”  Koutarou sat back, frowned slightly as he thought it over.  “There’s a lot of misinformation out there.  What we know about people who can mimic others is what they tell us, or what they choose to tell us.”  Tetsurou knew that Koutarou was really referring to demons.  What Tetsurou was wasn’t well known, it wasn’t known at all actually.

 

“The security system is infused with magic.”  Aoi said slowly, as if she wasn’t sure she should be saying it at all.  “It was designed to work through magic, but it could also mean that it wouldn’t show blurry features.”  It made sense.  A lot of power came from magic, those who lived in the apartments were all powerful people in their own rights.  They couldn’t have the security systems shorting out everytime someone exuded a bit of power.

 

“Can we get a copy of this?”  Tetsurou asked.  Aoi copied it onto a thumb drive before handing it over.  They walked out of the room and Tetsurou noticed they were right on time.  The Agency members had been looking for them.

 

“What are we going to do now?”  Koutarou asked after they had been politely escorted out of the building.  “All that film shows is Ushijima coming and leaving.  Considering he’s dating the owner of that flat, it’s not that unusual.”  Koutarou was right.  They wouldn’t allow Daichi free just because the Ushijima caught on film walked differently and had a nervous tick.

 

“I have to call someone.”  Tetsurou pulled out his phone, noticed a handful of missed calls and even more unread texts.  He ignored those and dialed a number.

 

“Finally!”  Terushima’s voice boomed through the phone line.  “What the hell is going on?”

 

“I don’t have time to explain but I’m working on it.”  Tetsurou followed Koutarou’s lead, trusting the other man to keep them on a regular path as Tetsurou’s attention was pulled elsewhere.  “Do you know where Ushijima was at three pm yesterday?”  Terushima was silent for a moment before he answered.

 

“No, work I think, but I could find out.”  Terushima admitted.  Tetsurou asked if he could and they hung up.

 

Koutarou led them to a park and they sat on a bench while Tetsurou waited for Terushima to call him back.  Terushima must have heard the urgency in Tetsurou’s voice because it was only a couple minutes until his phone was ringing.

 

“He was at the Agency, training new recruits.”  Terushima answered.  “Does that help?”

 

“Yes, I’ll call you when I know anything.”  Tetsurou hung up and took a deep breath.  The first one he had since he realized Daichi had been arrested.  A glance at the clock on his phone showed that had been a while ago.

 

“Good news?”  Koutarou asked carefully.

 

“Yes.”  Tetsurou clutched the thumb drive in his hand but he knew running down to Section Fives building wouldn’t be helpful.  The information coming from Tetsurou himself could be seen as him tampering with it.  Tetsurou instead called a newly added number in his phone.

 

It rang five times before Tetsurou hung up.  He called it again.  And again.  And a fourth time before a voice growled into the phone in annoyance.

 

“I think I have a way to help Daichi.”  Ukai stopped growling long enough for Tetsurou to fill him in on what Tetsurou had found.  “Terushima talked to Ushijima, he said he was at the Agency during the time.  There should be footage of Ushijima there.”  Tetsurou finished explaining.

 

“They could still say Sawamura had the illegal items before that, but it will cast doubt on it.”  Ukai admitted slowly, working it out.  “We’ll have to get someone who has the ability to mimic others, test out your theory to see if they show up on camera.  I think Suzuki’s assistant has that talent.”

 

“Administrator Suzuki?”  Tetsurou asked, remembered the tall lean man who had talked Director Oguri out of confronting Daichi after the tree burning.  

 

“Yes, I have to go.”  Ukai hung up without waiting for a reply.

 

“You did what you could.”  Koutarou said after a long moment of silence.

 

“It won’t be enough.”  Tetsurou stared up at the cloudless sky.  “It might be enough to get him out of a holding cell but there will still be people who think he had the stuff and the fake-Ushijima is just a ploy.”  Koutarou nodded hesitantly back.

 

“Something tells me Sawamura will be just fine.”  Koutarou grinned when Tetsurou looked at him in disbelief.  “I know you’ve got the whole protective instincts over him but this clearly isn’t the first time someones called his character into question, and he’s done well before.  You’re too close to the situation.”

 

“What do you mean?”  Tetsurou asked, eyes narrowed as he listened to his friend.

 

“I mean, Sawamura isn’t going to wilt just because some people think he’s into dark magic.”  Koutarou knocked his shoulder against Tetsurou’s.  “You just don’t like people saying bad things about your boyfriend.”

 

“No, but I’m not the one who was kicked out of the zoo for picking a fight with a little boy because he called my boyfriend ugly.”  Tetsurou relaxed slightly against his friend even as Koutarou sputtered indignantly.

 

“I will not stand for outright lies and slander!  Akaashi is the most beautiful, wonderful, and perfect human being put on this earth and we’re all better off for it!”  Tetsurou laughed as Koutarou continued on his tirade.  Koutarou was right.  Tetsurou didn’t like anyone accusing Daichi of horrible things, but he would pull through.  He always did.

  
  


\--------------------------

  
  


It took nearly a full two days until Daichi was released.  Tetsurou thought part of the reason they agreed to let him leave the Agency building, instead of confining him to it even if he was no longer technically under arrest, was because he was living with other Agency members.

 

They had briefly talked on the phone but they hadn’t seen each other in a couple of days.  Tetsurou didn’t worry about Daichi too much, though there was a constant voice in the back of his head that kept reminding him that someone definitely had it out for Daichi.  Tetsurou couldn’t understand why.  Who hated someone that much that they wished to ruin their lives so thoroughly?  Why were they going to such lengths to set Daichi up to be the fall guy?

 

It had to be more than just Daichi.  Tetsurou felt like it could be two different people.  One of them seemed to be more logical and on a clear path of stealing from the Agency while the other seemed to be completely consumed with taking down Daichi.

 

That was hard to wrap his mind around.  Bad enough that there might be one person within the Agency’s upper echelon who was trying to set Daichi up, let alone two.

 

A kick landed squarely in Tetsurou’s stomach and he went down like a ton of bricks.

 

“I’m so sorry!”  Koutarou apologized profusely even as Tetsurou shrugged them off.  His fault for not paying attention while sparing with Koutarou.  Tetsurou couldn’t match Koutarou in strength, very few could, but he was quick and clever enough to give Koutarou a run for his money.  After all the fighting Tetsurou had been doing he decided to increase his physical training.

 

Tetsurou was covered in bruises.  Koutarou was the best person to spar with but he barely managed to hold himself back.  Tetsurou was just lucky Koutarou had enough control of his magic so that it was just a regular kick to the abdomen, instead of the powerhouse it would have been if Koutarou had been playing for keeps.

 

“Bokuto,” Akaashi’s level voice cut through Koutarou’s apologies.  “Your moves are too predictable.  If Kuroo wasn't distracted he would have won that round.”  Koutarou deflated a bit because he knew it was true.  Tetsurou didn’t think it was completely fair.  Against an unknown opponent, Tetsurou would always bet on Koutarou.  But Tetsurou had been sparring and training with Koutarou for over a decade.  He knew Koutarou’s fighting style, but also Koutarou was well aware how strong he was.  He held himself back when fighting someone who didn’t possess the same power as him.

 

“You can do it boss.”  “Kick the cats ass Bokuto!”  “You’re our hero.”  Koutarou’s team shouted in deadpan voices.  Tetsurou resented the second shout but it did the trick.  Koutarou was up and bouncing around again even as Akaashi shook his head.

 

“I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your whole team.”  Tetsurou smirked, even though his stomach still hurt.

 

“That will have to wait, we’ve been called out to the field.”  Kai said as he leaned through the doorway of the training room.  “There’s an attack happening and we’re closet.”

 

Everyone moved at once, making their way to their respective locker rooms.  Most of Nekoma was in theirs, already pulling on armor and strapping on various weapons.  Tetsurou pulled off his sweaty workout gear as he made his way to his own locker.  Fukurodani was without their Guardian, only five of their team was at the building currently so they would most likely team up with Nekoma.  Tetsurou was fine with that, both their teams had practiced enough together to work well in most situations.  Plus he would welcome the additional power that Fukurodani brought to the table.

 

Tetsurou pulled the medallion Daichi gave him over his head.  They had been getting ready for another battle back then.  Daichi had told him the old legend from Miyagi where warriors didn’t go into battle without a gift from someone else.  He said it showed the gods that they fought for someone else and not just themselves, the gods didn’t favor such selfish creatures who only fought for themselves.

 

Tetsurou wasn’t sure if he believed the legend but he wore the medallion tucked safely underneath his shirt anyways because Daichi had given it to him.

 

“We don’t know what type of situation we are going into except there are multiple assailants.”  Tetsurou spoke up as they all gathered in the lobby, Fukurodani joining their group.  “Stick together and keep your head on straight.  Assess the situation before rushing in.  Do not separate from the group.”

 

“We got reports that there are other teams on their way but don’t depend on them.”  Koutarou spoke up.  “Keep lookout for other friendlies and civilians.  Our first priority is to protect those who cannot protect themselves, but we can’t do that if we’re harmed so stay aware.”

 

They walked out together.

 

It didn’t take long to get to the area of attack.  It was chaos as soon as they got close enough.

 

“Demons.”  Someone breathed behind Tetsurou, he thought it sounded like Yamamoto.  Some of them still had nightmares about the demons they had battled years ago in an old abandoned warehouse.  They had taken Inuoka from them, had torn a hole in their team.

 

There had been a little over a dozen in that warehouse.  More than enough to give five highly trained Agency teams a difficult time.  Nekoma hadn’t been the only one who had someone taken from them.

 

There were at least a hundred terrorizing the small Tokyo street and in the middle of the fray was Karasuno.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah Karasuno, always stuck in the middle of the worst situations!
> 
> The always amazing **audriel** edited this chapter!


	11. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Broken Man

Tetsurou couldn’t see perfectly from the distance but besides for a little bit of blood on a couple of the Karasuno members, they looked to be holding their own.  Noya’s shield was holding up, the range fighters standing close by him as they continually lent support to those outside of Noya’s protection.

 

Tetsurou’s first instinct was to run over and assist them, he knew many of those behind him felt the same by the subtle tensing of muscles and the sudden tension in the air, but they would do more harm than good rushing into the battle.

 

Shibayama and Yaku worked together to cast a barrier as they moved closer to the demons.  Tetsurou noted that even though they were numerous, they didn’t move from the one street they were on.  They could have caused a lot more damage if they had dispersed throughout all of Tokyo.  It made Tetsurou suspicious that someone was controlling them, and to do that they would have to be close by.

 

Up ahead Asahi made a running leap, grabbing onto a flying demon who had been barraging Noya’s shield, and slamming it into the ground with a booming force.  Daichi moved behind Asahi, slicing his short sword up to cut off a pair of the demons wings before bringing his second short sword down upon its neck.

 

A demon fell from the sky, crashing into the ground right before them with an arrow sticking out of its head.  A bullseye, right through the eye.  Tetsurou didn’t have to look up to know it was Tsukishima who shot it down, though why the younger man decided to shoot one down so close to them when he had plenty of targets around him was a mystery.

 

Tetsurou told everyone to hold before he crouched down near the deceased demon, still within the protective shield as he tilted his head.  The only wound that was apparent was the one Tsukishima had put.

 

“One arrow killed it?”  Yamamoto asked dubiously.  He had been there that night in the warehouse, knew how difficult it had been for their entire team to take down just one demon.  Tetsurou didn’t mind calling them demon, though the name also referred to his kind.  They were completely without conscious, no morals or ethics.  They fed off of suffering and pain, even if it meant their own.  They were extremely tough and made up of magic.  Magic that had made Tetsurou’s skin crawl and his fight or flight instincts kick in.

 

These creatures certainly resembled the demons they had fought.  Scaly, vaguely humanoid in shape, with too many teeth and sharp claws.  But they didn’t act like the ones they had fought.  All they seemed to be doing was swooping in for attack.  Demons certainly didn’t have the same mental capabilities as humans, but they were clever when they choose to be.

 

“Kuroo?”  Kai asked after he had examined the body also.  Something was wrong.  Karasuno shouldn’t have just minor wounds, they shouldn’t be able to handle a hundred demons on their own.  Tetsurou didn’t doubt Karasuno’s strength, but he’s not sure if there was a single team at the Agency who could handle a hundred of the creatures they had previously fought at the warehouse.

 

The only logical explanation was that these creatures, despite all appearance, weren’t the same.  The examination and conclusion Tetsurou reached took less than a minute before he was standing up.  Akaashi was beside him, drawing something complicated in the air.  The range fighters in their combined group were doing their jobs, shooting down the creatures at a commendable speed.

 

Akaashi pushed the complicated sigil toward the creature.  The body jerked and spasmed before it leapt up and clawed at an oncoming creature.

 

“Animation.”  Akaashi shook out his hand, letting the creature fall down dead next to another.  It had to be a golem then because only Necromancers such as Lev could control the dead, no matter what sigils they used.  Golems were usually organic creations, lifeless until someone controlled them.

 

“Someone wanted us to believe a hundred demons were loose in Tokyo.”  Kai’s face was pinched slightly, as if he couldn’t understand why anyone would go to such lengths.  The creatures weren’t very powerful, but there were a lot of them.  It would take a lot of time, energy, and money to make so many.  Kai didn’t know why someone would do such a thing, but Tetsurou had his suspicions and he wasn’t happy about it.

 

“This doesn’t change anything.”  Kuroo announced, turning back to his team.  “We’re going to move carefully, don’t do anything rash, and stay together.”

 

They entered the fray.  Koutarou was a powerhouse of never-ceasing movements and Kai was a silent shadow near him with his deadly katana.  Tetsurou noted where each and every person was as he pulled out two daggers, tying his magic around them.  He sent one out to cut into the hand of a demon who had snuck up behind Yamamoto, reaching out to rake his claws down the man's back.  The creature screamed but it was cut off as Fukunaga put an arrow through its throat.  Tetsurou pulled the dagger back before sending out another.

 

“Annoying.”  Yaku deadpanned as creatures slammed their bodies into his shield.  He twisted his hand and a blue shield crackled around them, just waiting for another creature to hit it.  When it did lightning struck the flying creatures.  It was concentrated near the top of the barrier, so it wouldn’t affect any of the fighters near them.

 

Lev stumbled back into the barrier, bleeding from his shoulder.  He had on protective gear as they all did, the claws only managed to tear into his shoulder and not into his chest.  Kenma looked over the wound on his shoulder, Lev bending down and almost pouting that he had been the first injured.

 

“I’m sorry Lev, I should have caught that.”  Shibayama apologized but Lev shrugged it off, though immediately regretted it when he winced.

 

“No worries Shiba!”  Lev announced cheerfully.  Tetsurou saw Yaku open his mouth, more likely to snap at Lev to be more careful, but he closed it as he thought better.  Lev had gotten better over the years and he knew he had made a mistake, there was no use beating that into his head.

 

“It’s shallow but I’m going to put disinfectant on it now.”  Kenma said, pulling a little clear bottle out of one of the many compartments on his belt.  Kenma was right to treat it right then.  They weren’t be overwhelmed and no one was sure that the creatures didn’t have poison on their claws.

 

Tetsurou turned his head to see Sarukui and Konoha being surrounded.  He reached out a hand and pulled a little power to himself.

 

“ _ Sunder _ .”  Tetsurou breathed out the word, more magic than anything else as all the creatures surrounding Sarukui and Konoha fell as one.  Tetsurou stumbled, only saved from embarrassment by Kenma catching him at the last moment.  He had only meant to take one apart, had thought he would have to focus on each single one to take it apart.  He guessed that the golems weren’t being held by that much magic but now he knew how right he was.

 

“Kuro?”  Kenma asked quietly, brow furrowed.

 

“I’m fine.”  Tetsurou took a deep breath as he stood on his own two feet without assistance.  Just a little dizzy spell as more magic was taken from him than what he expected.  His magic sometimes did unexpected things like that and he worked hard to make sure everyone thought it was on purpose.  It wasn’t as if it scared or worried Tetsurou.  There was a lot about his own demonic heritage that he wasn’t sure about, there just wasn’t that much information available and his kind tended to stay away from each other.

 

But his magic mishap did give him an idea.  He put away his daggers and concentrated, hands outstretched in front of him.  He steadied his breathing as he pulled his magic to him, knowing just how much to take before it would do some damage to himself.

 

Tetsurou opened his eyes slowly and said the Power word once more, letting his magic pull apart all the golems surrounding them.  He caught himself on Kenma, causing them both to stumble.  Kenma was no weakling but Tetsurou wasn’t exactly a light man.

 

“Don’t worry about me, help Karasuno.”  Tetsurou waved off his worried companions.  He hadn’t taken out all of the creatures, though he did manage to make it much more manageable.  With three teams working on the remaining two dozen or so creatures left, they made quick work of it.

 

Several meters away Daichi pulled his people back towards Noya, having a couple sit down as Suga knelt next to them.  Daichi patted Asahi on the back before making his way over, Tanaka and Tsukishima following behind him.  Tetsurou could see the light shimmer of Daichi’s own shield, protecting his baby birds.

 

Tetsurou went to move towards them but swayed dangerously.  It was Kai who caught him that time, giving Tetsurou his patented patient look.  Tetsurou wasn’t use to overdoing it.  Magic Exhaustion wasn’t something that normally happened to him, though he knew the side effects of it well enough.  He had been using more magic this month than he usually used, but he also knew that with a little rest and some food he’d be back to normal.

 

“Easy.”  Kai said quietly.  He adjusted Tetsurou slightly, letting him lean on him without it being obvious.

 

Tetsurou saw Yaku bending down to help Konoha pulled some gravel out of his hand, he must have fallen at some point.  He also watched as Daichi made his way closer, he was close enough that Tetsurou saw his eyes widen as something hit Tetsurou’s back.

 

It felt like a fist and Tetsurou’s first thought was Yaku had hit him for using too much magic.  It didn’t make sense though because Yaku was quite short, not that Tetsurou would ever say that outloud, he more aimed for the tender area right beneath a person's ribcage or the back of the knees.

 

“Keep him up!”  Yaku snapped, which was unusual.  Not Yaku snapping, he snapped at everyone, but the fact that his tone was tinged with fear.  Kai acted quickly, moving in front of Tetsurou and supporting his body with his own.

 

“Suga!”  Daichi’s deep voice echoed down the street, moving further away even as Tetsurou saw the rest the three who had followed him come closer.

 

“Something hit me?”  Tetsurou asked, though he wasn’t sure why it was a question.  Something had definitely hit him and he felt- not in pain, not exactly but rather strange.  He could feel something in his back and chest, something akin to pressure but much harder.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!  It came through the barrier before I could repair it.”  Shibayama stammered.  Tetsurou tried to assure the younger man he was fine but Kai stopped him from moving.

 

“Damnit hold still.”  Yaku grunted, as if he needed all his concentration onto his task.  He was behind Tetsurou and he really wanted to know what was happening.

 

“Ah, well look at you Kuroo.”  Suga’s ever-cheerful voice was a clear warning to Tetsurou that whatever it was, it was bad.  If it wasn’t dangerous than Suga would be joking, teasing Tetsurou relentlessly for getting injured after the battle had been over.

 

“They must have used the first arrow to pierce the shield and sent a second one almost instantly after.”  Akaashi murmured.

 

“It has pierced your lung so it’s going to hurt a whole lot more coming out then going in.”  Suga warned.  Tetsurou was slightly worried that he couldn’t even feel Suga touching him, though he knew the Med Mage must have.  His entire back felt like pins and needles.

 

“I wouldn’t.”  Tsukishima spoke up.  Tetsurou could see him out of the corner of his eye, watched as he pulled two arrows out of his quiver.  “That’s a mace arrowhead.”  Tsukishima tapped one arrow against the other, making spikes sprout out of the metal head.

 

“Yaku can you pull it out with the barrier?”  Suga asked.

 

“That’s not how it works.”  Daichi answered instead.  “Yaku is using all his power and concentration to make sure his own barrier won’t harm Tet-Kuroo further.  Someone else will have to pull it out, quickly and in the same direction it went in at.”

 

“I’ll do it.”  Koutarou spoke up before anyone else could.  Tetsurou could feel the other man move behind him.  “Ready Yaku?”  Koutarou placed one hand on Tetsurou’s shoulder as Kai tightened his own hold on him.  “Suga?”

 

“Now!”  Suga instructed.  Tetsurou jerked as something was pulled out of him, the arrow he presumed.  Suga was right, it hurt a hell of a lot more than it did going on.  “Let him down.  Kuroo your lung is collapsing, I need you to remain calm.  It’s going to take a bit to heal it up enough that you’ll be able to use it.”  Suga explained as Kai gently pulled him down to rest on the concrete.

 

It hurt.  The wound on his back, the slowly collapsing lung.  Tetsurou tried to remain calm, to keep his breathing evenly but it seemed to come out in short gasps.

 

“Suga,” Daichi’s deep voice pulled Tetsurou a little out of his dark, painful hole.

 

“Go, I’ve got him.”  Suga growled out.  Tetsurou would tease Suga later about it but not right now.  Right now he was concentrating on not passing out.

 

“I saw which window it came from.”  Tsukishima said, though it sounded distant.  The roaring in Tetsurou’s ears hard to hear over.

 

“Take Shibayama with you.”  Kenma suggested softly.  “Yaku’s too wiped to be of much assistance.”  Even through Tetsurou’s pain he knew Kenma had made the right choice.  With Daichi there, the pressure of guarding the whole team wouldn’t fall solely on Shibayama and they needed a strong Guardian like Noya to stay and watch those on the street, just in case there was another attack.  Tetsurou was a sitting duck as he was, but they couldn’t exactly move him at the moment.

 

“Okay.”  Daichi agreed.  “Tanaka, Shibayama, Yamamoto, Tsukishima, and Narita come with me.”  A small attack party.  It was the best move.  The Karasuno members worked well together, Yamamoto would be there to assist Tanaka but also look out for Shibayama.

 

Tetsurou rested against Kai and thought he must have blacked out for a moment because everyone had moved around him when he opened his eyes once more.  The pain in his back was manageable and he found he could breath a lot easier.  Somehow he had been relieved of his shirt too and there was a vetwrap wrapped around his chest.

 

“You have to take it easy.”  Suga warned, coming around to squat down in front of Tetsurou.  “I’ve made it so that your lung will heal completely in a couple days but I had to just plug up the hole in your back.”  Tetsurou knew Suga had done all he could.  He looked pale and worn.  He probably had pushed himself too far and was moving only through sheer force of will.

 

“Bedrest, got it.”  Kai said with a firm nod.  That sounded good to Tetsurou.

 

Glass shattered and Tetsurou turned towards it, cringing as it pulled the damaged muscles on his back.  He saw a lone figure crash to the ground, several meters away from them.  It was Noya shouting out his name that Tetsurou recognized the crumbled form as Tanaka.

 

Brick fell as something else landed heavily on the ground before slowly standing up.  Tetsurou couldn’t make out what it was except that it was vaguely human in shape, except it was massive.  It walked slowly, each footstep leaving broken cement behind.

 

“Go!”  Yaku shouted.  Noya nodded and ran towards his fallen comrade as Yaku took up shielding the rest of the team.  Noya managed to get to Tanaka before the heavy creature even made it halfway towards them.

 

Arrows and bolts alike flew at the creature but they simply bounced off.

 

Kageyama drew a sigil in the air before taking a step back.  Hinata ran up and Tetsurou could feel the wave of his magic as he slammed his fist into the sigil.  Power hit the creature, making it stagger but it was soon standing straight and continuing on his trek towards Tanaka and Noya.

 

Tetsurou thought it might be another golem, bigger and tougher than the last.  He raced his hand and called his power to himself.

 

“-can’t fight it!”  Tetsurou groaned as he came to.

 

“Stay down.”  Kai advised.  Tetsurou blinked away the black spots crowding his vision to realize he was on the ground, almost sprawled across Kai.  “You used too much power.”  Plus Tetsurou was injured.  He healed faster than a mundane person but he was wiped out.

 

“Is it another golem?”  Tetsurou asked, his voice raspy.  Daichi was with the group again but half of him was covered in blood.  It soaked the left half of his face and arm.

 

“I don’t know, but it’s covered in Blood Armor.”  Daichi looked over Tetsurou, eyes almost unreadable but Tetsurou knew him.  Knew Daichi was worried and a little terrified, but mostly he was angry.

 

The creature had made it to Noya and Tanaka, was beating against the barrier Noya was grimacing trying to maintain.  One large arm would lift and he would bring it down against the barrier, small fissures appearing and repairing right before another arm slammed down on it.

 

“They sacrificed ten people to make it, nothing we throw at it is going to even make a dent.”  Daichi explained even as Kageyama and Hinata worked together to toss another attack at it.  It staggered once more, giving Noya a second to breath but went right back to attacking.

 

“We have to do something.”  Koutarou argued as another boom echoed down the street from the creatures constant barriage of hits to Noya’s shield.

 

“They built that armor from 10 terrified victims.”  Daichi’s voice had gone even lower than normal, portraying how upset he really was.  Tetsurou knew when Daichi was angry he didn’t shout, he got quieter.  “It was built from blood and death and horror.  We could throw everything we had at it and it wouldn’t make a dent.”

 

“There’s someone inside.”  Suga stated, squinting at the creature and tilting his head.  “I can’t- I can’t touch them but I feel them inside.”  Tetsurou didn’t know if that was good or bad.

 

“He won’t last for much longer.”  Yaku spoke up, he looked like he wasn’t going to last much longer either.

 

Everyone was staring at the creature but Tetsurou’s eyes were on Daichi.  He watched as Daichi reached up to wipe blood out of his eye before looking down at his bloodied hand.  His fingers curled into a tight fist before he glanced around at everyone, meeting Tetsurou’s eyes before looking down.

 

Shame.  Tetsurou didn’t know what Daichi had to be ashamed about but he didn’t have time to question it as Daichi stepped forward.

 

“I need someone to distract it.”  Daichi said.  “Close range fighters, preferably those who can take a hit.”  Daichi didn’t order anyone to come with him, to act as bait and distraction.  He knew which fighters would be able to handle it, but this was obviously a volunteer only mission.

 

Koutarou stepped up, followed quickly by Asahi and Yamamoto.

 

They fought on swift feet.  The Blood Armor might have been strong, but it hampered any sort of speed.  None of the three fighters had problems dodging hits.  Daichi moved in close when it was distracted, slapping his hand against the Blood Armor before moving out of the way.  Tetsurou frowned at this, could hear others questioning it.

 

A glance around showed that their group was a good amount smaller too.

 

“Kenma took those who were the least tired and uninjured back into the building to make sure it was clear.”  Kai explained.  Tetsurou looked back to the fight when he heard Daichi shout to move back.

 

“Under order of the Agency, given power by the Japanese Government and People I warn you to stop now!”  Daichi shouted.  The person in the Blood Armor seemed to stare at Daichi before slowly turning back towards Noya and Tanaka.  Noya had collapsed to his knees but he rose, trembling from head to foot, as the creature walked closer.  “I won’t warn you again!”  Daichi held his bloodied arm out, fingers spread as he gripped his bicep with his other hand.

 

Everyone waited silently as the creature continued it’s trek towards Noya and Tanaka.

 

“Stop!”  Daichi yelled.  “ _ Stop _ .”  The second one was a Power word, Tetsurou felt it vibrate through his chest.  He could see the barely there lines of thread spreading from Daichi’s hand to connect to the Blood Armor, like a puppet.

 

When Daichi said stop, the creature stopped.  Daichi grimaced, face paling but his hand remained steady and out stretched.

 

The person wasn’t going to stop, were fighting Daichi with everything they had.  Daichi ground his teeth, the sharp line of his jaw hardening even further with the effort.  Finally Daichi started to close his bloodied hand.

 

The Blood Armor groaned, a terrible grinding sound as it seemed to collapse in on itself.  That was when Tetsurou realized what Daichi had done, why he had been so reluctant to do it and why he had looked away from Tetsurou’s eyes in shame.  Daichi was using Blood Magic.  He had put his blood, wrapped in his own magic, on strategic points of the Blood Armor.  He was using that to crush the person inside.

 

Tetsurou pushed himself to a standing position, ignored the lightness in his head as he leant against Kai for support.  He watched as Yamamoto took a step away from Daichi, though Asahi remained close, face hardened in a way that in a way that Tetsurou didn’t regularly see.  Koutarou had used the opportunity to bring Suga over to the injured Tanaka, and then stood guard over the three Agency members behind him.

 

Daichi’s fist closed and the Blood Armor fell to pieces, shattering as it hit the ground as if it was made of fragile glass.  A body collapsed to the ground shortly after.

 

Tetsurou could hear sirens and cars coming close.  Backup had arrived, late as usual.

 

Kai helped Tetsurou move over to where Suga was helping Tanaka.  Both Guardians were at their limit but they should be able to produce a basic shield until proper backup received, but it would be easier if they were all gathered together.

 

“Daichi!”  Asahi shouted in alarm, pulling all their attention back to him as Daichi stumbled through the broken Blood Armor to the body on the ground.

 

“Sugawara!”  Daichi yelled out, panic evident in his voice.  Suga looked up in surprise but hurriedly made his way over, leaving Kageyama and Yamaguchi to look after Tanaka, who was awake though not moving yet.  Tetsurou followed after Suga without much thought.  “It’s going to be okay, just breathe Ikejiri.  Koushi please.”

 

“Ikejiri?”  Suga asked in shock as he knelt next to the body.  Daichi wasn’t touching the body, which was breathing and seemed to be a man about the same age as them.  Blood trickled out of his mouth as he tried to speak, eyes locked on Daichi.

 

“Don’t try to speak, Koushi-”

 

“No.”  Asahi grabbed Suga’s shoulder as he went to reach for the clearly crushed body.  “He’s too injured, there’s too many wounds and it would kill Suga to heal him.”  Daichi looked over at Asahi like he couldn’t understand what he was saying.  Asahi didn’t flinch back, though Tetsurou saw his hand tighten on Suga’s shoulder.

 

“Sawa-” Daichi looked down as the man coughed violently.

 

“Just hold on, help is on the way.”  Daichi pleaded.

 

“Sorry.”  The man, Ikejiri, wheezed out, barely audible.  Tears leaked out of Daichi’s eyes, pouring down his cheeks and mixing with the blood and dirt on his face.  “Sor-” He coughed again before becoming very still.

 

“No,” Daichi touched Ikejiri’s face.  “No, no, no you’re going to be fine.  Please.  Ikejiri please, it’s-  _ please _ .”  He bent over, collapsing in on himself.  Tetsurou had never seen Daichi so devastated before.  Sobs were wracking his body but he didn’t make a sound.

 

Car doors slammed, people shouted behind them.  Other teams and medical, plus local police had arrived.  Tetsurou glanced around, saw that everyone's eyes were on Daichi.  The whole of Karasuno looked shell shocked, as if they couldn’t believe their infallible leader was breaking before their eyes.

 

“Someone give me a status report!”  A voice shouted from behind them, too close.  Tetsurou wanted to shield Daichi from attention but Daichi was moving himself.  He stood up and used his dirtied sleeve to rub at his face.  His shoulders trembled for a moment as he took a deep, shaking breath before looking up, though he didn’t meet anyone's eyes.

 

“We need med evac for at least three people, we take care of the injured and then you’ll get your status.”  Daichi’s voice was hollow but if the new Agency member noticed anything was off, he must have wrote it off as after-battle syndrome.

 

“Is it safe to bring in medical?”  The Agent asked.

 

“We haven’t secured the buildings yet.”  Koutarou answered, walking over to talk to the person with more privacy.

 

Tetsurou watched Daichi carefully.  He didn’t know who Ikejiri was to him, why someone who had seemed so important was working with people who clearly wanted to hurt Daichi, but he knew Daichi.  Knew the other man was carefully folding and tucking away all his emotions into the furthest reaches of his mind where it would hurt no one but himself.

 

Tetsurou wasn’t sure what this attack was meant to be but he knew the outcome of it.  Karasuno was shaken.  Hell, Fukurodani and Nekoma were shaken too.  Daichi was like the ground to them, especially his own team.  He was strong and true.  Everyone just saw a giant crater open up in that steady ground.  They had managed to hurt the whole of Karasuno just by harming Daichi.

“How about you sit down?”  Kai suggested, helping Tetsurou sit on the sidewalk curve.  Both of them let out a relieved sigh once they had sat down but the small moment was broken by a shout.

 

Tetsurou looked over to see Director Oguri followed closely but Administrator Suzuki and a short woman who was hurrying after them in high heels that clearly weren’t made for running.  Tetsurou glanced over to see Daichi tense up as he met the Director and Administrator halfway.  They were too far away to hear but Oguri’s face was already red as he talked at Daichi.

 

Suzuki placed a calming hand on Oguri’s shoulder, but nothing was stopping his tirade.  He was also gradually getting louder, pulling attention to the dressing down he was giving Daichi.

 

“Explain to me why you are always front and center in these messes!”  Oguri ordered, shouting now but he didn’t give Daichi time to respond.  “And why do you feel the need to cause so much damage to the surrounding area?  Do you know how many people you have inconvenienced?  How much money it takes to repair everything you’ve broken!”  

 

Daichi stared at the ground as Oguri continued on his tirade.  Some people still pretended to work even as they were actively listening.  Tetsurou saw red.  No one deserved to be talked down to in that way, especially someone who had just risked their life to protect Tokyo.  When Tetsurou saw Daichi’s shoulders curved inward, as if he was trying to make himself smaller as Oguri continued to scream at him, he attempted to get up.

 

Kai tugged Tetsurou back down, managing it easily considering how weak Tetsurou was.  But at the same moment Ennoshita pulled on Noya’s sleeve, leaning down to whisper something in his ear.  Noya frowned but nodded, turned towards Daichi and made a discreet motion with his hand.

 

Tetsurou had trained with and against Noya enough to know that it was a single-person barrier.  Undetectable and incredibly strong, but it also meant the person within the barrier couldn’t move.  It was good against physical and magical attacks.  Tetsurou wondered if Ennoshita thought Oguri was going to physically attack Daichi next.  If that happened Kai wouldn’t be able to hold Tetsurou back.

 

Except no attack happened, at least physically.  Oguri continued to yell but Daichi stood a little taller.  His expression became less blank, which Tetsurou knew meant Daichi was shoving everything he was feeling deep down.  He didn’t raise his eyes to Oguri, but there was a stubborn tilt to his chin.

 

Suzuki frowned, his hand falling away from Oguri’s shoulder.  If it hadn’t been for that small movement Tetsurou wouldn’t have seen the woman behind Suzuki rub her fingers together.  A familiar move Tetsurou had watched a fake-Ushijima do on an elevator tape.

 

Tetsurou’s eyes went back to the woman’s face.  Memorizing details from her appearance but also every little trait.  Her height, the way she held herself, the tilt of her head, the almost glossy-look in her eyes.

 

Oguri, who had managed to scream at Daichi for a good five minutes without waiting for a single reply, finally wore himself out and stormed off.  There was embarrassment on Daichi’s face, but from his clenched jaw and the deep breath he took Tetsurou knew Oguri hadn’t done any too permanent damage.  Tetsurou thought that Oguri held no respect in Daichi’s mind, which was a difficult thing to do, Daichi respected everyone, even small children and those he arrested.

 

Suzuki stepped forward, his hand reaching out as he spoke quietly to Daichi.

 

“Over here please!”  Ennoshita shouted, much louder than he needed to as the medical team was already making their way over to the small cluster of obviously injured Agents.  “My apologies Kuroo, but if you wouldn’t mind if they took Ryuu first?”  Tetsurou blinked in surprise at being suddenly addressed.  Ennoshita was speaking much louder than her normally did, Tetsurou thought it was throwing a lot of people.

 

Out of the corner of Tetsurou’s eye he saw Daichi bow deeply to Suzuki before excusing himself to come back to his team.

 

“Of course.”  Tetsurou answered automatically.  Tanaka was awake but Tetsurou had heard the list of injuries Suga recited he had as the medics came closer.

 

Suzuki’s hand fell, curling into a fist at his side as he stared down at Tetsurou.

 

“Someone shot you Agent Kuroo?”  Suzuki asked but continued on.  “How fortunate it wasn’t a serious injury.  Excuse me.”  Suzuki turned and walked away.

 

“How did he know you were shot?”  Kai asked in a soft tone that didn’t carry.  Tetsurou’s shirt had been cut off, but they had replaced the armor after sealing up the wound.  The black body armor, good against small magic attacks and knife blades but sort of useless against bolts and arrows, covered the wrap around his chest.

 

“Good question.”  Tetsurou mumbled as he watched Suzuki walk away.

 

Tetsurou sat up straight, cringing as it pulled at the wounds on his back.

 

“What is it?”  Kai asked.

 

“I thought I saw someone.”  Not just anyone.  Tetsurou was almost positive he saw Suzuki look directly at Kurokawa, before the latter disappeared within the growing crowd.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickens? Hopefully.


	12. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Foreboding Feeling

Tetsurou woke up in the hospital wing.  He could feel the dull edge of pain radiating from his back, kept in check by medication.  His throat felt dry and his eyes didn’t seem to want to focus. All in all not his best but considering a bolt had been pulled out of his back just the previous day, he was doing alright.

 

“You look terrible.”  Kenma stated softly somewhere to Tetsurou’s left.

 

“Always so kind.”  Tetsurou’s voice came out in a rasp.  If it didn’t hurt so much he would have commented on how sexy he sounded.  He turned his head to look at Kenma but his eyes snagged on what was on the bedside table.

 

Flowers.  A big bouquet of them.  Mostly soft blue colored ones, a couple white fuzzy ones thrown in, and a few small orange ones to offset the other colors nicely.

 

Daichi had sent him flowers.  Even devastated by the loss of someone close to him and humiliated by his superior on a public street, he had remembered that Tetsurou had jokingly said he wanted flowers days prior.

 

Tetsurou closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  It hurt, his chest protested the movement but he needed to get his head on straight.  Tetsurou had always prided himself on his even temper, but he was finding himself losing it easier every day.  Daichi didn’t need his anger, he probably had enough of his own to deal with. What Daichi needed was Tetsurou’s brain, his cool logic.

 

“We have information regarding the man in the blood armor.”  Kenma said after giving Tetsurou time to pull himself together.  Tetsurou grimaced as he pushed himself into a seated position. Kenma watched him silently as he did so and Tetsurou was thankful the other man didn’t offer help.

 

“They went to school together, right?”  Tetsurou asked. Now that his mind wasn’t fogged with pain and he wasn’t distracted by other things going on, he remembered Daichi mentioning an Ikejiri a couple times.

 

“Primary and middle school.”  Kenma confirmed. He handed over his tablet instead of telling Tetsurou the information.

 

They had spent their younger years together but veered into different directions for high school.  Ikejiri was an average student who played on a volleyball team that was neither great nor bad. He failed out of the Academy three times, which Tetsurou found fairly admirable.  It took a certain type of person to pull themselves up after being knocked down so often. He worked several jobs after that, three times was the limit for the Academy, and employers said they never had any problems with him.

 

The past couple months looked as if they had been looking up for Ikejiri.  He had gotten a good job, moved in with his girlfriend and her younger son.

 

“They’ve interviewed his girlfriend.”  Kenma said just as Yaku and Kai walked in.  Kenma must have texted them when Tetsurou had woken up.  “She reported him missing two days ago.”

 

“He woke up, got ready for work, and left like he always did.”  Kai said, taking the empty chair as Yaku sat on the end of the bed.  “She took the kid to school and then was called later when Ikejiri didn’t pick him up.  For the past three months he lived by a strict schedule. He always picked the boy up and hadn’t been as much as a minute late.”

 

“They asked her about Ikejiri’s relationship with Sawamura too.”  Yaku spoke up. Tetsurou wasn’t surprised but that didn’t stop him from feeling annoyed.  “She said they saw him about once or twice a month. Ikejiri never said a bad thing about Sawamura except he worked too much.”

 

Tetsurou knew what they were all thinking.  Unless Ikejiri was a world class actor, he didn’t fit the same profile as the others.  He seemed, if not happy, then content. He had created his own family. He had worked hard for his position not only at his company but life in general.  He was the only one to have continual contact with Daichi also.

 

Tetsurou stared down at the information they had gathered.  It was too disjointed, almost chaotic while other areas were well thought out, meticulous in their execution.  It almost looked like two completely different profiles. The first, their entire focus seemed to be on destroying Daichi.  Whether that be professionally, physically, or emotionally it didn’t seem to matter. The second was more calculated, using Daichi as a convenient distraction.

 

Oguri made himself a likely suspect.  He had no qualms about voicing his dislike of Daichi.  Would he go so far as to plan all of this? Tetsurou knew anyone was capable of anything given the right circumstances.  But why wait so long? Daichi was being pushed out of the Agency already so why risk it?

 

“How is Karasuno?”  Tetsurou asked once the rest of his team had shown up.  His own team looked tired but otherwise fine.

 

“Ryuu is going to be bed bound for a week at least.”  Yamamoto said with a severe frown. Yamamoto had found a brother in Tanaka and his worry was clear.

 

“Suga is out too, magic exhaustion.”  Yaku reported.

 

“Speaking of exhaustion.”  Kai gave Tetsurou a pointed look.  He admitted he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.  All he had done was sit up and talk for about fifteen minutes, read some files and he felt completely wiped out.  He wasn’t tracking as well as he should be either.

 

“You need more rest.”  Yaku stated.

 

“I’m fine, lets go over-”

 

“Tetsurou, a bolt was just pulled from your lung yesterday, a centimeter to the left and it would have been in your heart.”  Yaku snapped, voice sharp from worry and annoyance. “For the love of god, rest. If not for yourself then at least do it for the rest of us so we can have one day where we don’t have to worry about you.”  Tetsurou opened his mouth to respond but after a moment thought better of it. It did look like everyone, including himself, needed some rest. It wouldn’t help anyone to run themselves ragged.

 

“Okay, since there’s nothing pressing everyone should rest.”  Tetsurou had to fight against his first instinct that said he needed to be doing something, anything at all to help find out who was responsible for this mess.  But even he had to admit he was useless in his current state. “We will meet back up tomorrow at four.” Everyone looked relieved as they stood to walk out.

 

Tetsurou settled back against the pillows with a soft groan.  He was asleep before the last of his team had left.

  
  
  
  


\----------------------

  
  
  
  


Tetsurou was lounging on his couch, eating the yaki udon Kai had generously made for all the Nekoma members currently infringing upon his space.  He didn’t mind, especially if it meant Kai cooked for them all. He could tell they were all still keeping a close eye on him and he had no problem making himself an easy target.

 

Their research kept leading to dead ends but Tetsurou had found his calm.  He knew they’d find something and they’d exploit that until the entire thing unravelled.  People didn’t compare them to cats for no reason. They would endlessly stalk their prey until they made the wrong move and pounce.

 

It also allowed Tetsurou to keep an eye on his team.  Mostly the younger members. They had faced a lot in their short time at the Agency.  Things that could break a person. Shibayama blamed himself for the arrow that hit Tetsurou and for not guarding Tanaka better.  It wasn’t his fault, Yaku had even stated that wasn’t completely sure he could have put up a powerful enough barrier to stop the Blood Armors attack.  But responsibility road hard on Shibayama’s shoulders. He had already lost Inuoka, they all had, but Shibayama had been in the same age bracket, had risen up and trained with the other man.

 

Yaku was also exhausted.  It was difficult for Guardians to have people hurt when they are under their protection.  It weighs on them. It meant Yaku was putting everything he had into each attack. Which was good in a sense but it left him utterly drained for days after.

 

Fukunaga and Kenma were fast asleep on either side of Yamamoto, who was sitting completely still for once.  He looked calm but Tetsurou could see the stretch of his fingers, the way his eyes looked around the small apartment for danger.  Stress was affecting Yamamoto negatively also.

 

“The garbage needs to be taken out.”  Kai dropped the bag next to Tetsurou, as if timing it perfectly when he had finished his bowl of food.

 

“I’m injured.”  Tetsurou tried but already knew it was a losing battle.

 

“You need to get up and move a bit.”  Kai nudged the bag closer to Tetsurou, giving him a peaceful smile.  “The walk down to the dumpster will do you some good.” Tetsurou sighed, making sure to do it loud and exaggerating noises as he got up and snatched up the garbage bag.  He was fine doing it. Kai had barely stopped moving from the moment he entered Tetsurou’s apartment. Cleaning up the kitchen, cooking a meal, cleaning up the dishes from that and then moving onto the rest of Tetsurou’s already clean apartment.

 

Tetsurou slipped on his shoes at the door before walking out, deciding to take the stairs down to the main lobby since the elevator was old and sometimes made some very worrying noises.

 

Tomorrow Tetsurou had plans to chase down some leads himself.  He had given himself a couple days to rest, the tear in his lung was fully repaired and the wound in his back was well on its way to being healed.  The magic his body was using to heal itself meant he was still suffering from magic exhaustion, which felt something like jet leg but ten times worse.  He could maneuver around that, he didn’t have any need for magic. It was mostly just leg work. Researching and interviewing, boring things that usually made up 90% of Agents jobs that no one talks about when they are hiring you on.

 

Tetsurou believed completely that they will figure it out.  It was only a matter of time and afterwards, he was thinking a nice long vacation was needed.  Somewhere sunny, perhaps a nice beach so he could get Daichi stripped down baring tattooed covered skin.  Maybe they could find a private beach and Tetsurou could even get him completely bared.

 

Tetsurou would go on the vacation for Daichi of course, he was doing this completely selflessly.  Daichi deserved a break and itdefinitely had nothing to do with seeing those hard earned muscles glistening in the sun.

 

Tetsurou swung out the side door, thinking about tracing all those lovely tattoos with his tongue and seeing the deep full body blush spread across Daichi’s tanned skin with a smile.  He glanced down the alley and note in annoyance that they moved the dumpster further away from the door. Many of the occupants had been complaining about it for a while, saying how it could be moved and easily block the fire exit.

 

Thinking about smoothing sunblock over the wide expanse of Daichi’s back had Tetsurou back in his good mood as he made his way down the alley.  Tetsurou would love to just go to Miyagi with Daichi and hide out on his family's land, let the spirits shoo away any unwanted visitors and spend most of their days and nights in bed.

 

Tetsurou tossed the trash into the dumpster before turning and feeling  _ something _ shift in the air.  He couldn’t name it but his instincts had him tossing up his hands and pulling on his magic, rebounding the attack away.  It still caught him off guard and knocked him half way down the alley.

 

Another attack hit him but it felt only like a strong wind, knocking him down once more when he tried to get back to his feet.  The wound in his back was not happy but he pushed that to the back of his mind to deal with later because that last attack had not felt right.  It was like something had crawled all over him and left a bad taste in his mouth. It somehow felt familiar though he knew he had never experienced an attack like that before.

 

_ Black magic _ his mind supplied.  He had long known that he was particularly susceptible to black magic but he hadn’t understood just how far his immunity went.

 

“Interesting, I was told it wouldn’t affect your kind but I had to know myself.”  The voice was almost deceptively soft. Tetsurou shoved himself to his feet, gritting his teeth against the pain of being flung across concrete.  He wasn’t surprised to see Kurokawa Hiroki standing at the end of the alley. He was as pale and sickly looking as Tetsurou remembered him, his eyes deeply sunken into his head with dark circles beneath them.

 

Tetsurou had put a lot of research into Kurokawa.  He had been a decent Agent member and had trained Daichi when he entered the Agency.  One of the short swords Daichi carried with him was a gift from Kurokawa, the matching one held in the tall man’s hand.  Tetsurou knew Daichi and Kurokawa had a tumultuous relationship. Daichi did not talk about his past often but he had admitted it had been unhealthy and Kurokawa had a particularly cynical outlook on life that Daichi had adopted when he was younger.

 

It had taken a lot of digging, mostly on Kenma’s part since the files had been buried.  But Tetsurou was positive Kurokawa quit because Tashiro Hidemi was killed in action and then his death was covered up.  Daichi had been present whenTashiro had been killed. His death could have been prevented if the Agency had ordered a kill instead of restrain order.

 

Tetsurou could understand Kurokawa’s anger towards the Agency but he would never forgive the other man for attacking Daichi.  Because it was becoming abundantly clear that he was involved in the recent attacks.

 

“Must be infuriating to see all your plans fail.”  Tetsurou said, just to poke and prod at the other man, to get him angry to make a sudden move.

 

“Who says it’s failing?”  Kurokawa asked, eyes blank as he stared Tetsurou down.  Tetsurou knew none of his own provocation would work on this man.  He seemed dead inside, like a doll. That was fine with Tetsurou, he would mourn the loss Daichi would have to face once again, but he would end Kurokawa this day.

 

Tetsurou attacked.  People thought he could only do rebound magic and it was his speciality but Tetsurou wasn’t the leader of a top team in the Agency for nothing.  He also pulled more on his demonic side to give himself a much needed edge. After all, Kurokawa had obviously come for a fight considering he was in full armor and he had his short swords with him while Tetsurou had only a thin pair of joggers and Daichi’s sweater to guard him.

 

Kurokawa attacked back.  His style so similar to Daichi’s it almost threw Tetsurou off.  It made sense, this was the man Daichi had learned most of his skills from.  They both fought with two short swords and Kurokawa depended on a heavy defense strategy with steady attacks.  Being similar to Daichi meant Tetsurou knew the style while Kurokawa still had to learn Tetsurou’s, though he wouldn’t give him that option.

 

Tetsurou wasn’t too busy to notice the trap set on the ground.  He side stepped it at the last moment and that’s when something hit him.

 

The force sent Tetsurou skidding across the ground once more.  His body came to a stop only because it came into full contact with the dumpster.  Black spots swam in his vision and he found it very difficult to breath. He had heard something break and he was furious at himself for not expecting a second attack from someone else.

 

“Hiroki!”  A voice bellowed from beyond them.  Tetsurou knew that voice, knew Daichi was somehow there and he was  _ pissed _ .  Mostly Tetsurou just got small impressions from Daichi through their bond, bits and pieces because Daichi was completely controlled, even in his own mind.  But the past month had stripped Daichi down to his bare bones, made him raw and Tetsurou finally got a taste of the anger that simmered deep inside the Karasuno leader.

 

Pressure in the air changed once more and Tetsurou used that rage to grab hold of the spell aimed for him and toss it back at the person.  He pushed his own power into it, making it his own and giving it a purpose. He heard the death scream of whoever had surprise attacked him as he used the dumpster to stand.  He was pretty sure his collar bone was broken but that had to be ignored for now.

 

Kurokawa and Daichi were fighting, using their swords and magic alike.  It was amazing and terrifying at the same time because it was real and one wrong move could end it for either of them.

 

The same magic Tetsurou had felt before drifted towards him.  Kurokawa was using black magic, twisting it around Daichi who was losing because he wasn’t fighting at full force.  He was hesitating, unable to issue a killing blow so unable to fight on equal ground as his old leader.

 

_ Anger, fear, confusion, sadness _ \- gods, so much sadness rippled from Daichi through their bond.  He didn’t know why this was happening, why someone he had trusted and loved would do such a thing.

 

Trust was a hard thing for Daichi to do.  Tetsurou wanted Kurokawa dead for breaking that trust.

 

The door leading to the alley burst open and the rest of Nekoma spilled through it, looking ready to murder.  They moved to Tetsurou, using their bodies to shield him but none made a move towards Daichi.

 

It was impossible to help.  They were fighting too close to each other, any spell sent towards Kurokawa could hit Daichi instead.  Yaku couldn’t throw up a shield because it could disrupt the defensive magic Daichi had going. Throwing another close-range fighter into the mix could be an equal disaster because it was clear that Kurokawa was skilled and he would use the momentary confusion of an added fighter to his advantage.

 

Asahi and Noya came around the corner of the alley, both of their faces twisting into concentration as they watched the fight.  Tetsurou felt slightly relieved at seeing them. They had both been training and fighting alongside Daichi for years, if there was an opening they would be better suited to find it.

 

The air changed and something shifted along the blade of Kurokawa’s sword.  Before Tetsurou could even think about shouting out a warning, the two swords glanced off each other.

 

For a moment Tetsurou didn’t think anything had happened but then Daichi’s sword cracked before he dropped it, his arm hanging limp at his side as it turned black.  Tetsurou could feel Daichi’s pain through the bond, how badly that attack had wounded him but he was not out.

 

Daichi dropped, a move Kurokawa hadn’t been expecting.  He also didn’t expect a full on tackle by Asahi who slammed the man into the ground with bruising force.  Tetsurou would be surprised if Kurokawa had lived with the way his head bounced off the concrete.

 

“I’ve got him, you can get up Asahi.”  Noya instructed. Asahi stood and they all saw the bindings around Kurokawa.  “Can one of you add an extra layer? Someone get that sword out of his reach.”

 

“No!”  Daichi yelled but it was too late because Asahi had already reached down to grab the sword.  Asahi stiffened,his eyes rolling into the back of his head before he fell over.

 

Nekoma rushed over as the sword clattered to the ground before shattering to pieces.

 

“I’ve tied him.”  Yaku said to Noya who instantly slid to Asahi’s side.  The gentle giant was gasping for breath, his back arching like he was in agony.

 

“Was it cursed?”  Yamamoto asked.

 

“Daichi please.”  Noya pleaded as Daichi stumbled over to Asahi, his right arm completely black and still by his side as he kneeled next to him.

 

“He’s dying.”  Kurokawa stated simply.  Tetsurou wanted to kick him until he stopped breathing.  “If he was fully human he’d be dead already.”

 

“Then there’s time!”  Noya’s hands hovered over Asahi, not sure how to help but feeling the need to do  _ something _ .

 

“Kindness won’t help in this situation Daichi.”  Kurokawa said, as if he was still Daichi’s teacher, as if he had that right any longer.

 

“What’s he mean?”  Noya asked, eyes wide and looking up at Daichi as if he had the answers.

 

“He won’t make it back to the Agency to be treated.”  Daichi said as if the words were being forced out of him.

 

“Curses can always be transferred.”  Kurokawa didn’t look like he was bothered one bit to be captured, tied up, and surrounded by people glaring daggers into him.  “Someone who isn’t fully human may survive it.” Kurokawa didn’t look at Tetsurou but he knew this had been part of the plan all along.

 

“No.”  Yaku said sternly, trying to pull Tetsurou away but he shrugged the shorter man off as he stumbled over to Daichi’s side.

 

“It’s okay Daichi, I’m tougher than I look.”  He wasn’t, not at that point. He might have been strong enough to fight off a curse the previous month but he was still injured, still exhausted and not even close to the top of his health.  Tetsurou could not, would not sit around and make Daichi choose between one of his oldest and closest friends and the demon he loved but had only known for a couple years.

“I know you are.”  Daichi said with a smile, cupping Tetsurou’s face with his left hand.  “Close your eyes, this will be over quickly.”

 

“Stop this!”  Yaku shouted and Tetsurou could feel his team move closer to pull him away but he closed his eyes, readying himself.

 

Tetsurou didn’t know what a curse transfer felt like or what it was like to be cursed at all.  Asahi looked like he was in agony and it had happened pretty quickly so Tetsurou expected pain when Daichi’s hands slipped away from his face.

 

Tetsurou did not expect a sharp inhale, hands yanking him away suddenly, and someone saying Daichi’s name.

 

Tetsurou opened his eyes and saw Asahi blinking clear eyes up at the sky as Daichi bent over at the waist, clutching his already ruined right arm to himself.

 

“Interesting choice.”  Kurokawa said without any inflection in his tone.  Tetsurou growled at someone to shut him up and Yamamoto complied, landing a punch that effectively knocked the former Agency member out.

 

“Daichi what have you done?”  Tetsurou asked, hands reaching out to touch him but he was pulled back once more.  A sharp grin that had no business being on Daichi’s face because it was too hard, an anger-filled look.

 

“It’s fine.”  Daichi sat up and tilted his head skyward, even as he clutched his blackened arm to his chest.  “Transference deludes curses and my arm was already ruined to begin with.”

 

“I’ve called pick up.”  Kenma said softly as Noya moved Asahi’s head into his lap, moving his sweaty bangs off of his forehead and telling him to stay still even as they both watched Daichi with clear worry in their eyes.

 

“I’ll need a priest there, to make sure the curse is fully out of Asahi’s system and to deal with this.”  Daichi said, his eyes still clenched tightly.

 

Yaku’s arms tightened around Tetsurou’s chest, his face a mask of fury.  Tetsurou wasn’t even sure why he thought Daichi would ever do anything else but risk himself.  No matter if Tetsurou was completely healthy, Daichi would never have used him to transfer a curse off of someone else.

 

“Yaku, please let go, I’m pretty sure my collar bone is broken.”  Tetsurou cringed as he tapped lightly on Yaku’s arm in a silent plea.  Now that the adrenaline of the fight was fading he hurt all over. He was covered in scraps from his many hits against the concrete ground and he was sure to be a spectacular shade of purple and blue the next day.

  
  
  
  


\----------------

  
  
  
  


Tetsurou limped over to Daichi’s hospital bed, despite the fact that he had promised numerous people that he would stay still.  He laid down on Daichi’s good side, the side that didn’t have the previously cursed arm. Semi Eita, a highly trained priest, had seen to Asahi while Yamaguchi had taken over Daichi’s care.

 

Watching a priest work was highly satisfying, not to mention relaxing.  It calmed everyone in the small hospital wing down to see Yamaguchi run through a task he had probably done hundreds of time in practice.  Purified water had been taken out of a flask that looked like it would shatter for how delicate it seemed, pressed against the blackened skin.  The edges of the curse had peeled and cracked upon contact with the water before revealing smooth skin underneath. Daichi’s hand had remained black and it seemed to fade in intensity as it worked it’s way up his forearm.  Yamaguchi had pulled out a white wrap with softly glowing runes on it before slowly and carefully wrapping Daichi’s arm from fingertips to bicep. He had then pulled out a long charm that tinged in the air as he bent over and said a prayer.  The metal had risen around Yamaguchi, wrapped around him like a barrier before wrapping around Daichi’s arm.

 

Tetsurou had been seen to.  He was right about those bruises and scrapes.  His collarbone had been fractured and he had been wrapped up like a mummy before being ordered to rest.

 

Tetsurou had no problem with resting, but he would rather do it in reach of Daichi.  He had put on a brave face for Yamaguchi but now his face was pinched and drawn, almost drained of all color.  The freckles that were barely visible from up close stood in stark contrast against his pallid tone.

 

“Does it still hurt?”  Tetsurou asked as he laid next to Daichi but didn’t touch him quite yet.  Daichi’s eyes opened and he looked over. It was a show of trust that Daichi allowed Tetsurou to see the depth of his pain, the inner turmoil and the barely concealed rage that lurked beneath.

 

“Feels like someone scraped my arm raw and then poured lemon water on it.”  Daichi moved closer, pressed his forehead against Tetsurou’s before letting out a deep sigh.  “Rest with me?” They both needed it but even if Tetsurou was fully rested he would have stayed anyways.

 

Tetsurou reached out and ran his fingers down the side of Daichi’s face.  He wished that his hands were smooth and soft and not calloused and dry but Daichi relaxed into his touch, his eyes drooping as Tetsurou moved his fingers to curl into his hair, massaging his temples gently and giving comfort where he could.  The position made his body ache but Tetsurou ignored that for the deeper joy of giving Daichi something much more important.

  
  
  
  


\---------------

  
  
  
  


Tetsurou listened to his team talk quietly beyond the curtain that sectioned them off from the rest of the medical ward.  They weren’t stupid enough to talk about what was really bothering them within Tetsurou’s hearing range, so they were exchanging information on what they knew of curses.

 

This whole situation made all of them realize how settled they had gotten into the daily monatomy of their jobs.  It wasn’t even close to this level of action at any point in their careers, except for when they had brought Tetsurou back from the dead.  They had been in a couple fights here and there but they were well spread out in the years they had been in the Agency.

 

It’s not as if his team lacked in any aspect or were lazy.  It was just a proven fact that most field Agency members could go their entire career without actually having to use offensive magic or pull out their weapon.  It was kind of trial by fire for all of them, Tetsurou included.

 

Daichi breathed against Tetsurou’s neck, the slight tightening of his muscles signalled that he was waking up.  He had gotten a couple hours of sleep, which Tetsurou counted as win, though it was a very small victory. At least he had regained some color back to his cheeks.

 

The stillness Daichi exuded meant he was listening to Nekoma’s talk of curses and Dark Magic.  Anything related to actually instructing someone how to use Dark Magic was strictly forbidden and highly guarded, but there was a lot of information about those who have used it over the years and his team had dug up everything they could, with as much detail as possible.

 

“They don’t take a break, do they?”  Daichi asked as he moved back to look into Tetsurou’s eyes, looking over his face as if trying to find answers there to a particularly hard question.  Before Tetsurou could ask what was bothering Daichi, the curtain was pulled aside and they were rudely interrupted.

 

“Unlike some slackers, no we do not.”  Yaku said and there was a little too much bite in his tone to be viewed as a joke.  Daichi sat up and reached over to help Tetsurou do the same but Yamamoto was suddenly there and helping him instead.

 

“Okay.”  Daichi rubbed his face with his good hand, a hard smile stretching across his lips before he looked at each Nekoma member.  “I keep meaning to get around to this but things keep getting in the way, or maybe that’s an excuse because I don’t- I’m not very good at spilling my guts.”

 

“Daichi-” Tetsurou started but Daichi cut him off with a shake of his head.

 

“No, they have every right to be protective of you.”  Daichi rubbed the back of his neck as he took a deep breath.  “I thought at first it might be because you all thought I was somehow involved in this mess but I don’t think that’s it, or at least not the full reason.”

 

“You’re reckless with your own life and either you have no idea or you just don’t care how that affects the people around you.”  Yaku said, staring hard at Daichi.

 

“I thought so.”  Daichi nodded and glanced around once more.  “At one point in my life I would be able to argue with you on that but not now.  I do not have the intelligence of Tsukishima or Kenma, I don’t have the raw power of Tanaka or Yamamoto, or the crazy amount of power like Kageyama and Hinata have.  But what I do have I have worked my entire life to control and perfect, I have been surrounded by magic since I was born, favored by a Spirit and spirits alike. I have been reckless in the past, I won’t deny that, but I am fully aware what each and every injury I recieve does to those who care about me and I know I use my body as a shield for others, but please do not mistake that as recklessness.”  Daichi stood and there was power in his body, in his tone and eyes.

 

“I am fully aware of my limitations and what I can do with my abilities, I knew I could withhold the curse long enough for a priest to see to me and I would never sacrifice someone else to save someone.”  Daichi met each and every one of the Nekoma members eyes. “I know how protective you are of Tetsurou and I am glad for it. I will happily spend the rest of my life proving to you that I am worthy of him but right now I need your trust, if only on a temporary basis.”

 

“Trust is hard.”  Kenma stated softly and Daichi agreed with a nod.

 

“But our teams are linked in this and if the rest of Karasuno see’s you question my every action, it will lead to a fissure between us.”  Daichi frowned slightly as he realizing something but he shook that off and continued on. “I am not willing to sacrifice myself, so please if you cannot trust that I am living for myself, then trust that I will live for him.”  Brown eyes turned to Tetsurou, who was not openly weeping but it was a damn close thing to it.

 

“Fucks sake Daichi.”  Tetsurou covered his eyes, embarrassed and more than a little in love.

 

“Sorry to interrupt.”  Ukai broke in, looking uncomfortable as he met Daichi’s eyes.

 

“Do they want to interview me again?”  Daichi asked, shoulders tight and tone resigned.

 

“Actually they are requesting you conduct the interview.”  Ukai frowned as he looked over Daichi, who was in a pair of pair of hospital pants and a cotton shirt.  “Kurokawa is refusing to speak.”

 

“Okay.”  Daichi agreed, voice tight as he reached for the clothes Ukai had brought him.  “Has Tsukishima seen the interviews they’ve tried to conduct so far?”

 

“What?”  Ukai asked in confusion.

 

“I asked Yamaguchi to get Tsukishima to sit in on them, he see’s more than most people.”  Daichi stripped out of his clothes. Tetsurou wished he could sit back and enjoy the view but his eyes could only see the numerous wounds and bruises, he could only note that Daichi had lost too much weight in the last month though the suit he pulled on did well to hide that.  His wrapped hand should have look silly but somehow the spelled wrappings and the charms resting on it looked intimidating.

 

“He wasn’t there, though I did see Yamaguchi and Kageyama looking for Tsukishima and Hinata earlier.”  Ukai informed Daichi, who frowned. Most of Daichi’s team was out of commission at the moment. Suga was still suffering magic exhaustion, Tanaka was bedbound, now Asahi and Noya were out too.

 

“I’ll talk to Ennoshita about it later.”  Daichi said before turning to Tetsurou. “Want to be my eyes and ears?”

 

“Love too.”  Tetsurou hopped up and immediately regretted it.  “No no, I’m fine, stop hovering.” He told his team, waving them off.  He decided to go in his own clothes considering he didn’t need to look professional and intimidating just to watch from a two-way mirror.

 

“I’ll come too.”  Kenma stated. Tetsurou easily agreed, he was emotionally compromised when it came to Daichi.  If Kurokawa said something to hurt Daichi, Tetsurou might miss something.

 

They all walked the distance to the interrogation rooms.  The rest of Nekoma broke off to go get food from the canteen with the promise to look for Tsukishima and Hinata.  The small room Tetsurou and Kenma followed Ukai into was dimly lit and overly packed. Tetsurou’s attention narrowed in on Oguri, who sneered when he saw Ukai.

 

“Giving into his demands is a stupid move boy.”  Oguri hissed out but Ukai didn’t even flinch as he leaned against the wall.

 

“He hasn’t given any demands to give into, he hasn’t said a work since coming here.”  Ukai said, looking like he really wanted to smoke right about then. Oguri turned his glare onto Tetsurou when he couldn’t get a rise out of Ukai.  Tetsurou smiled at him and he must have let some of the demon seep out because Oguri turned back to the window that showed them the interrogation room without a word.  Kenma sighed quietly beside him, minutely shaking his head.

 

Everyone quieted down as Daichi walked into the room.  Kurokawa’s dark eyes followed Daichi, taking in his every movement as Daichi sat down across the table from Kurokawa.  The room was spelled, the manacles tied to Kurokawa’s hands and feet were also spelled, probably the chair he sat in was spelled too but even so Tetsurou felt himself stiffen at seeing Daichi sit so close to a man who had actively tried to harm, if not kill, him just hours ago.

 

“How’s your arm?”  Kurokawa asked.

 

“How’s your head?”  Daichi asked back, not quite matching the disinterest in the other man’s voice.

 

“As ready for a fight as always, some things never change.”  Kurokawa glanced at the window behind Daichi, though all he would see was his own reflection staring back at him.  “Always ready to be used by your superiors too. You really have learned nothing.”

 

“How many attacks on Tokyo have you been apart of?”  Daichi asked, clearly they were questions someone had ordered him to ask.

 

“How many have you been apart of?”  Kurokawa met Daichi’s eyes once more.  “Just because it’s sanctioned by the Agency, does that somehow make the deaths you rack up any better?”  Daichi didn’t even flinch at that.

 

“Have you been apart of the attacks on Agency buildings?”  Daichi asked and Tetsurou wanted to groan because he would get nowhere with those questions.  They were stifling Daichi’s ability to gain real answers by making him stick to a ridiculous script.

 

“You would know, wouldn’t you Daichi?”  Kurokawa asked and a murmur started up in the room.  “Perhaps the Agency should be looking inwards for the monsters they seek.”  Kurokawa glanced at the window again, as if he knew Tetsurou was behind it. If he wanted a monster than Tetsurou would give him a monster.

 

“Are you saying someone within the Agency has been apart of these attacks?”  Daichi asked.

 

“You know all these answers already so it’s time for a couple questions myself.”  Kurokawa leaned forward, finally showing some emotion. “Did you get addicted to it?  To the pain and blood and death you experienced at such a young age? Did that make you want to inflict it on others, Daichi?  As Hidemi died at your feet, did you like the way the life disappeared from his eyes?”

 

“Get him out of there.”  Ukai growled. “He’s just fucking with us.”

 

“Watching Hidemi die, did that make you want to experience taking a life yourself?  The one you killed, he was just a boy wasn’t he Daichi? 14 years old. You didn’t do the job properly though, did you?  He died gasping, coughing blood or maybe you liked that?” Kurokawa slammed his handcuffed hands against the table, making it rattle.  “You’ve always been full of soft spots Daichi, your defense has always been for shit.” Agency members filed into the room, grabbing hold of a suddenly limp Kurokawa and dragging him out.

 

Tetsurou watched as Daichi took a deep breath before pushing away from the desk and walking out of the room.  Oguri stormed out and Tetsurou followed quickly after.

 

“You’re apart of this aren’t you?  You’ve always been apart of this, from the very beginning.”  Oguri spat. “You’re just like that useless father of yours and that bitch-” Suddenly Ukai was there, pushing into Oguri’s face.

 

“You better watch your mouth.”  Ukai stepped back, though the dangerous look on his face didn’t fade.  Daichi walked off down the hall and Tetsurou followed after. “It doesn’t do well to speak ill of the dead.”

 

“Daichi.”  Tetsurou called out as he rounded a corner.  Daichi turned and glanced at Tetsurou and then Kenma behind him.

 

“I’m fine, it’s nothing he hasn’t said to me before.”  Daichi waved his hand but his fingers trembled ever so slightly.  “Hidemi died behind me-”

 

“You don’t have to explain.”  Kenma said as Daichi pressed a hand to his mouth before looking down.  “Even if he was a boy, someone who mutilates their own sister is not someone who could be saved.  I’m going to round everyone up in the cafeteria.” Kenma said before disappearing back down the hall, giving them privacy which Tetsurou would always be grateful for.

 

Tetsurou stepped closer to Daichi, reached up to curl his hand around Daichi’s wrist.

 

“Tetsu-”

 

“Kenma’s right, you have nothing to explain.”  Tetsurou cut him off before pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

 

“You still trust me after everything?”  Daichi asked, looking up at him with sudden determination.

 

“Of course.”  Tetsurou answered without hesitation.

 

“And if things get worse, if more evidence piles up against me?”  Daichi asked.

 

“I’ll disprove everything they try to pin on you.”  Tetsurou sighed when Daichi gently cupped his face, thumb caressing his cheekbone.

 

“I love you, I need you to know nothing will change that and please apologize to your team, I made that whole declaration and now-” Daichi glanced away.  Tetsurou tried to feel what Daichi was feeling at that moment, but the man had his mind cleanly locked away.

 

“Daichi, you’re kind of making me worry.”  Tetsurou admitted, earning a smile as Daichi met his eyes once more.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m just really tired.”  Tetsurou knew that wasn’t the full truth but he wasn’t sure if he should push it.   Clearly what Kurokawa had said bothered Daichi, and it seemed like it wasn’t the first time Kurokawa had spat venom at Daichi either.  “You go catch up with your team, I’m going to wrangle mine together.” Daichi stepped back, looking like he didn’t want to but they both had a duty.

 

Something sat heavy and foreboding in the pit of Tetsurou stomach as he walked away from Daichi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story refuses to be written so I'm just gonna bull in a china shop my way through it! Sorry about everything!


	13. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Twenty-Four Hour Countdown

Tetsurou pushed his glasses up onto his forehead, cringing slightly at the amount of oil there.  It had been a long time since he had to pull out his glasses. He mostly refused to acknowledge that he needed them but his eyes were so tired, as was the rest of him, and he had pulled them out of the depths of his drawers just so he could make it through the reports.  They had been piling up the past month and he could only depend on the others to help him so much. It was his job and he knew the quicker he got through them the sooner he could get back to what he really cared about.

 

The problem was some of them dated back to incidents that were now hazy in Tetsurou’s memories.  A dull ache had settled behind Tetsurou’s eyes and he pressed his fingers to his closed eyes to relieve some of the pressure.

 

Tetsurou pushed away from his desk, grabbing his phone and shoving it into his pocket before heading out.  He needed some coffee and then he would go talk to Yaku and hope the other man remembered more about the case than Tetsurou did.  The key to not having his reports questioned was to be as detailed as possible. He didn’t want to waste time playing email tag with some higher up asking unimportant questions about something that was done and over three months prior.

 

A quick trip to the gym showers to hopefully wake himself up more and get rid of the layer of grease that had settled over his body, and then a stop at the canteen to grab a coffee and a bag of muffins.  The muffins were an impulse, he was hungry and they were fresh, plus there was bound to be other members of Nekoma in Yaku’s office. Kai wasn’t scheduled to come in until later and Kenma had a habit of using anyone’s computer if they were at it.

 

Tetsurou gave two sharp knocks on Kai and Yaku’s shared office before coming in.  As he suspected Kenma was working at Kai’s desk, legs pulled up onto the chair and eyes only flickering briefly over to Tetsurou before settling on the screen once more.  Yaku was at his own desk, though his computer was mostly ignored. Yaku liked to say he just preferred older methods of completely tasks but really he just broke whatever electronics he touched.

 

Yaku must have pulled out the futon so Lev could sleep on it.  The giant didn’t fit well on the futon, his legs hanging off the bottom but he was fast asleep with a blanket pulled over him.  Yaku was studiously ignoring how Lev had his hand wrapped around Yaku’s ankle. Since Tetsurou needed a favor he didn’t mention it either, though he couldn’t help the pointed look and smirk which earned him a fierce glare.

 

“I need help with a report.”  Tetsurou said, dropping the bag of muffins on the desk before digging around for a blueberry one.  He reached over to hand that one to Kenma, earning a huff of thanks before he pulled out a banana one himself.  Yaku reached in and pulled out the first one his hand touched, not caring about the kind it was as he took a bite.

 

Luckily Yaku’s memory was better than Tetsurous.  He easily filled in the gaps, Tetsurou made notes on his phone as Yaku talked.  A text from Kai came in, informing Tetsurou that he should check his email and he would be coming in early.  That sparked Tetsurou’s curiousity but not before he remembered something else.

 

“Kenma have you talked to Tsukki today?”  Tetsurou had sent a couple questions over to Tsukishima.  It wasn’t unusual for Tsukishima to ignore Tetsurou’s texts, he did have a habit of sending him things that he knew Tsukishima would never find funny but when it concerned work Tsukishima was pretty prompt to get back.  The texts to Daichi went unanswered also, which was also not unusual. Daichi was constantly breaking his phone, overloading it with his own magic. The last text he had received from either was three days prior, right after the interview with Kurokawa.

 

“No.”  Kenma frowned slightly as he picked up his own phone, tapping it to life as he flicked through a couple things.  “Shouyou hasn’t gotten back to me either.” Hinata had been late to the game getting his own cell phone just a couple months prior.  It had been like someone handing him pure gold, that kid was so careful with the phone and he always answered back within the hour.

 

Tetsurou turned his attention over to Yaku, who had to dig around his desk to pull out his own phone, which he hardly ever used.  He growled as he attempted to type in his passcode for the third time before finally unlocking it. 

 

“I’ll text Suga.”  Yaku informed them as he poked out a text with his pointer finger.  If it was any other situation Tetsurou would have made fun of Yaku for his old man tendencies but something dark was settling over the room.  Tetsurou shot off a text to Yamamoto, asking if he had heard from any of his connections to Karasuno. “He’s not picking up.” Yaku said after calling Sugawara.

 

Tetsurou tried Daichi’s direct line at the Agency but it went directly to an automated voice message.  He didn’t bother leaving a message as he shifted uneasily on the couch he had settled on.

 

It was then that Tetsurou remembered that Kai had told him to check his email.  He borrowed Yaku’s computer, they couldn’t access their work email from anything besides a work related computer, and signed into his own account.  The unread email at the top marked urgent caught all their attention, even Kenma had wandered over to look at the screen.

 

“Have they ever done that before?”  Yaku asked after they had all read the entirety of the email.  It wasn’t very long, which was odd for an Agency email. They tended to be long winded.  There was to be a trail and every team leader plus their second was required to be there.

 

It simply wasn’t cost effective to have such a large trial.  Each area of Japan had its own specifically assigned section of the Agency, it was why they were all divided up.  Most of those teams remained in their area, several had smaller Agency buildings close by and only made the trek back to Tokyo every other week or so.  Calling every leader and their second in didn’t make any sense, unless the trial affected everyone in the Agency.

 

“Kuro?”  Kenma asked softly, snapping Tetsurou out of his thoughts.  He had a couple different options of people to talk to. He was in contact with Oikawa but Tetsurou wasn’t sure he was in the right mindset to deal with the other man right now.  Getting information out of Oikawa was like pulling teeth and Oikawa was if nothing else, completely loyal to the Agency.

 

“A moment.”  Tetsurou requested, standing up and thumbing through his contacts before he found the right one.  They picked up on the second ring, which was a slight relief.

 

“Matsukawa.”  A flat voice devoid of emotion said, which normally would have made Tetsurou at least crack a grin.

 

“So professional.”  Tetsurou ran a hand through his still wet hair, knowing that it would only cause more of a disaster when it fully dried but not caring at the moment.

 

“Ah, Kuroo.”  Some life came into Matsukawa’s voice.

 

Matsukawa had left the Agency several months prior.  His family was hugely influential and owned a large corporation, to which Matsukawa was now apart of.  Tetsurou wasn’t sure what happened there, he knew Matsukawa fought every step of the way not to be apart of his family.  Tetsurou also suspected the family might have something akin to foresight, a powerful and very rare talent that was closely guarded.  Whatever reason it meant that Matsukawa was not under the control of the Agency but his two boyfriends still worked there and Daichi was currently staying with them.

 

Matsukawa could be just as difficult as Oikawa but there was no animosity between Tetsurou and Matsukawa the same way there was with Oikawa.  Oikawa had a lot of issues to work out himself so Tetsurou tended not to take anything the other said to heart, but he wasn’t in the mood to step around the landmines that was Oikawa’s ego.

 

“Have you heard from your boyfriends recently?”  Tetsurou asked, cutting right to the point. Matsukawa had been dating Hanamaki for over a decade, Iwaizumi was a new addition to their relationship but things seemed to be running smoothly at least as far as Tetsurou could tell.

 

“Not today.”  Matsukawa answered after a short pause.  Tetsurou suspected that Matsukawa was unhappy with his current occupation and had distanced himself from his very astute boyfriends to hide that fact.  It was fairly easy with Matsukawa’s job being stationed in Sendai and his boyfriends being in Tokyo. “Not yesterday either.” Tetsurou could tell Matsukawa was reluctant to admit that.  They were more send various videos of people failing to do simple tasks than share all romantic trouble type of friends.

 

“I think something might be happening, could you try and contact them?”  Matsukawa agreed easily enough, which was pretty much how they became friends in the first place.  Hanamaki was a little on the crafty side, which Tetsurou liked just fine but Matsukawa was more relaxed.

 

They hung up and Tetsurou stared at his phone, waiting for an update.  It was then Yamamoto came running into the office, covered in sweat and wearing his training gear.  Shibayama and Fukunaga were close behind him in the same gear.

 

“Noya and Ryuu aren’t answering me.”  Yamamoto said without preamble. Fukunaga took a seat beside Tetsurou, pressing his hand gently against Tetsurou’s shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze in silent comfort.

 

“‘Dashi, I mean Yamaguchi isn’t answering back either.”  Shibayama took a seat next to Lev on the futon, the half-Russian was now awake and leaning against Yaku’s chair.

 

“All the team leaders and their seconds have been called for a trial tomorrow morning.”  Kenma told the ones who hadn’t been there.

 

“Shit.”  Yamamoto said with feeling, voicing what they were all thinking as they waited in silence for the next thing to happen.

 

Tetsurou’s phone buzzed and he quickly opened the text to read it.

 

“Matsukawa said he got ahold of Hanamaki, who can’t explain right then but says he and the team are alright.”  Tetsurou relaid the message, feeling partially relieved and a new sense of dread.

 

“He probably means Aoba Johsai, right?  What about Karasuno?” Yamamoto asked as Tetsurou’s phone buzzed with a second message.

 

“He asked about Daichi but Hanamaki got tight lipped and hung up quickly after that.”  Tetsurou’s knuckles were white from gripping the phone so hard.

 

“Perhaps they found out who has been attacking the Agency and Karasuno was apart of that, if they were they would certainly be busy and maybe sequestered off from everyone else so their testimonies aren’t influenced.”  Kai stated in his normal dulcet tones. He was leaning against the doorframe. Tetsurou hadn’t even realized he had arrived. “Especially if what we suspected was true and it was someone with a lot of power in the Agency who had orchestrated the whole thing.”

 

“If they are bringing everyone in for the trial then it must be someone important.”  Yaku agreed easily with Kai.

 

“Either way there’s no point in us sitting around worrying about it.”  Kai motioned everyone up. “Each and everyone of you has something they should be doing now.  Kuroo and I will inform you what happened as soon as we can tomorrow.” One by one everyone left the room, Kenma being the last and he gave Tetsurou’s hair a soft pat on his way out.  Tetsurou knew that he must be looking truly pathetic if Kenma was willingly giving out physical affection.

 

Kai closed the door behind them and it was only Yaku and Tetsurou left in the office.  It had been the three of them for years. Kai and Yaku being older and more experienced with the Agency, they had helped Tetsurou navigate until he was steady on his own feet.  They had all been through so much together and Tetsurou knew they were a big part of why he continued to work for the Agency even after dying.

 

Tetsurou rubs his face and wishes he had tried to be more persuasive when trying to talk Daichi into retirement.  He had said it as a joke several times throughout the time of them dating each other but it wasn’t until right then that he realized how serious he had been.  Tetsurou tried to tell himself it was magic exhaustion and just plain real exhaustion talking. He was sore and in pain, the muffin settled heavy in his stomach after hearing the news and getting no response from Karasuno.

 

“You know what I said to the others applies to you too.”  Kai stated after a long stretch of silence. Tetsurou looked up at his second with a blank look.

 

“We both know that your head is going to the worst case scenario, you think Sawamura is really injured right?”  Yaku asked and Tetsurou nodded reluctantly. “Wouldn’t that weird psychic link tell you if that happened?” Tetsurou hadn’t told anyone the details of his link to Daichi, just the bare minimum for them to understand it.  But Yaku was correct in his guess. Daichi had years to block out strong emotions but physical pain was much more difficult to guard against. If someone had really hurt Daichi then Tetsurou would know. The wall between them was solid but it was also radiating warmth that Tetsurou had grown used to.  He drew comfort from that fact and allowed himself a deep breath.

 

Tetsurou closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to dispel some of the negative thoughts and emotions clouding up his head.  All he wanted was to see Daichi again.

  
  
  
  


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Tetsurou took his seat absentmindedly, glancing around the large room that he’s seen but never actually been to.  It was attached to Section Ones building, a huge white dome that was meant to hold every team leader, their second, and all the heads of the Agency.  Tetsurou had never really thought of the Agency as a whole. He worked out of Section One that mainly dealt with Tokyo as a whole, while the other four sections took care of the rest of Japan.  He knew there were a lot of Agents, but it was the first time seeing them all in one place.

 

The empty area in the middle of the room worried Tetsurou a little.  The seating was arranged much like an amphitheatre, except it was a complete circle.  On four sides of the cleared space in the middle stood four giant statues. Androgynous in shape but all held items or weapons in their hands.  The one that stood out the most was the one with wings curving around its body and holding a long spear.

 

Tetsurou tore his eyes away from the middle to try and overhear anything he could.  Except there were far too much voices, all merging into an incomprehensible murmur. Tetsurou shifted in his chair, glancing over at Kai on his left, Akaashi to his left with Koutarou next to him.

 

Tetsurou had worked at the Agency for around seven years and never had been summoned to this building.  He hadn’t even heard of it ever happening. It was disconcerting to say the least because whatever was to be discussed would most likely affect the entirety of the Agency, if not the whole of Japan.  The Agency was nothing if efficient and having all the team leaders and their seconds in one place was not efficient. It also had to be costing them a small fortune.

 

It didn’t help that Tetsurou was exhausted and magic-drained.  It didn’t happen often, he knew his limits and could cheat his way around them but the last couple weeks had been rough.  He had pushed himself both physically and mentally, and then he had gone and pushed past his magical limits too. Tetsurou was a demon, he was made of magic and when he pushed himself too hard he tended to crash hard.  He hadn’t allowed himself to rest properly and now he was paying the price for it.

 

Tetsurou’s eyes automatically sought out Daichi.  Most of the lighting was concentrated on the middle area so it was hard to see but he managed to pinpoint that Giant from Datekou was the white hair and knew Section Fives seats must be in that area.  Tetsurou strained to see but couldn’t make out Daichi, or his gray haired second, anywhere in the ground. Tetsurou tried not to let himself panic at that.

 

Daichi had been in rough shape the last time Tetsurou had seen him, which made him worry all the more, so maybe they allowed him a free pass for this one.  Tetsurou tried not to dwell on the fact that he hadn’t even heard from Daichi in days.

 

The lights dimmed and a man strode out into the center of the clear middle area below.  Tetsurou forced the scowl off his face when he realized who that man was.

 

“Attention.”  The man's voice cut through the noise of the crowd and everyone silenced themselves at once.  “You have all been gathered here today to witness the judgement and sentencing of someone we considered one of our own.  An example must be made for we will not tolerate this type of behavior.”

 

A man in chains was led into the circle, two escorts walked on either side of him.

 

Shock rippled through the crowd but it was still eerily silent for such a large room filled with people.

 

“Sawamura Daichi, your judgement starts now.”

Tetsurou was in complete shock as he stared down at Daichi.  He missed the next several things said as his brain tried to comprehend what he was seeing.  How did this happen? How was this even possible?

 

“Guilty.”  Daichi’s voice pulled Tetsurou back to the present, knocked the static out of his head as the entire room buzzed with voices all bleeding together.  Tetsurou could feel Koutarou’s eyes on him, boring into him but Tetsurou only leaned further into his seat and stared hard at the side of Daichi’s head.

 

“Quiet.”  A female voice ordered, the following silence was nearly deafening.  “State your full name and how you plead to the charges laid against you.”  Charges? Tetsurou had missed them but his attention swung back to Daichi. Daichi stared up at the board of directors in a wrinkled white button up and black slacks.

 

“I, Sawamura Daichi plead guilty for all charges laid against me.”  Daichi repeated, voice deep and strong despite the circus that was going on.  His attention was unwavering, wholly focuses on those he was shackled before.

 

“And you say this in full conscious knowing that you will not get a trial, only a sentencing.”  The woman stated. She was plain in looks and dress, unremarkable in so many ways but Tetsurou knew the power she held.

 

“I am aware.”  Daichi confirmed.

 

“Let it be known that Sawamura Daichi, former leader of the disbanded group called Karasuno in Section Five of the Agency, has pleaded guilty to treason, a count of 82 deaths and 197 injuries, 46 counts of public defacement-” The list went on.  They stuck the most important things at the beginning, conspiring against the country and the total death count of every attack laid at Daichi’s feet. There was another buzz of conversation when the woman mentioned the usage of black magic.

Tetsurou couldn’t believe this was happening.  Even if he somehow did prove Daichi’s innocence he had plead guilty in front of what essentially was the entirety of the Agency.  Even those who had no idea who Daichi was would know his name, would tell their teams and their families about Sawamura Daichi, the man who betrayed their country, the mass murderer, the user of black magic.  

 

Why would Daichi plead guilty?

 

The answer came in the form of a memory, of Daichi crumpled over the form of his old friend.  Daichi would do anything to protect those he loved and cared for. If he thought the only way to end the attacks and to stop his loved ones from being used as fodder than he would most certainly turn himself over.

 

“Sawamura Daichi’s sentencing will take place tomorrow at eight am after the council deliberates.”  Daichi was lead back out, the chains on his body rustling ominously as they faded into the distance.  “No one is required to come to the sentencing but you may make arrangements if you wish to witness.”

 

“I am sure you all are as aggrieved by this traitor in our midst as I am.”  Oguri stood up and Tetsurou had to bite back a snarl. He didn’t look aggrieved, he looked positively delighted.  “I will be conducting numerous tests and interviews on every team at the Agency so we can be what we were meant to be and get back to protecting this country and the citizens who live here.  You are dismissed.”

 

Tetsurou felt someone squeeze his shoulder as they walked past, a quick glance showed it be Ogano.  Nekoma regularly worked and trained with other teams in theri section and Shinzen was an old comrade of theirs.  Ogano had met Daichi on several occasions and they had gotten along. Tetsurou wondered if Ogano believed that Daichi was a traitor and felt bad that Tetsurou hadn’t known, that none of them had know.

 

“They’ll strip him.”  Akaashi said without inflection as most people around them had left.  Tetsurou winced but he knew Akaashi only spoke the truth.

 

Magic was a gift and it was treated that way.  If someone misused a gift it was taken away. The council would most definitely vote to strip Daichi of his magic which would go one of three ways.  It would leave Daichi a dried up husk of a man, it would make him lose all touch with reality, or it would kill him.

 

Tetsurou knew it would most likely kill Daichi if they were to strip him of his magic.  Daichi might have been born human but something changed when he came back from the dead.  He was closer to the magical world, he was apart of it and it apart of him. Tetsurou himself would die if his magic was stripped from him because as human as he looked, he was still a demon and made of magic.

 

Tetsurou stood up on stiff legs and followed the crowd out.  He barely noticed that Kai was walking closer than usual but it was a big crowd after all.  Tetsurou spotted a familiar overly-done head of hair and called out to Oikawa. Perhaps he had some idea of what was going on.  It didn’t look like Iwaizumi was with him, only Oikawa’s junior that Tetsurou called Oikawa’s Mini-Me.

 

Oikawa met Tetsurou’s eyes before turning his back on him and pushing his junior firmly away from Tetsurou.

 

It was then that Tetsurou noticed something that should have been glaringly obvious before.  People were giving him a wide berth of space and those who could look at him for more than half a second were doing it with disgust.  Kai being close to him suddenly made more sense.

 

“You should go Bo.”  Tetsurou advised his friend, turning to look at Bokuto who had instinctively drawn himself up, shoulders squared and ready for a fight he couldn’t possibly win.  Tetsurou had already been branded a co-conspirator but Bokuto didn’t need that stamped across his name too. “Akaashi get him out of here before he says something.”

 

“Call if you need us.”  Akaashi stated firmly, surprising Tetsurou before he pulled Bokuto away.  Bokuto gave Tetsurou one last look before disappearing into the crowd.

 

“So what’s the next step?”  Kai asked, purposefully nonchalant as they made their way out of the building, ignoring the daggers being through into their backs.

 

“Only a matter of time before Oguri starts kicking all us undesirables out.”  Tetsurou answered because he knew that’s what Oguri was fishing for when he announced his investigation.  Everyone who didn’t fall in line and wasn’t firmly in his pocket was to be kicked out. Tetsurou was decidedly not in his pocket.

 

“They’ll want to pull you in for questioning.”  Kai tacked on. Everyone already believed that Tetsurou must have known something or been apart of it, the investigators would probably feel the same.

 

“We’ve got roughly twenty-four hours until Daichi’s sentencing.”  Tetsurou stated and that was just fine because he always worked better with a deadline.

 

Tetsurou pulled out his phone and started to make a couple phone calls.  Kai was silent next to him, taping on his own phone. Most likely telling their team to meet them in his office.  As Tetsurou waited on the phone he thought back over everything that had happened yesterday, sure that he had missed or overlooked something.  

 

The rest of Nekoma was waiting for them back in Tetsurou’s office as he suspected.  Kai filled them in on the trial as Tetsurou sat down in his chair. He found himself listening along since he hadn’t heard the beginning of the trial, too surprised to find Daichi in handcuffs to listen properly.

 

“I called Terushima, he’s fine and he managed to get into contact with Kiyoko too.”  Tetsurou spoke up after Kai was done. “So I don’t think they are using someone outside Daichi’s life, there just aren’t that many people.”  Tetsurou still felt like he was missing something.

 

“So someone in Karasuno?”  Yamamoto suggested.

 

“Most of them were in the and anyways they were all at the Agency, it would be impossible to take one of them without someone seeing something.”  Even an overworked and exhausted Karasuno were a force to be reckoned with. They would have made noise if someone had attempted to take them.

 

“I think I messed up.”  Lev held up his hand, it shook slightly and he looked paler than normal.

 

“What do you mean?”  Yaku asked, his voice hard but there was a softness in his eyes.

 

“Shouyou and I were supposed to meet up two days ago but he never showed up, I just thought with everything going on he forgot.”  Lev’s hand dropped to his lap. “Shouyou doesn’t forget things like that.”

 

“Oh,” Tetsurou pressed his hands over his eyes, feeling unbelievably stupid.  “They said it yesterday, they mentioned in more than once. Daichi wanted Tsukishima to go over the tapes, he asked Ukai about it remember?  Ukai looked confused but he said Kageyama and Yamaguchi were looking for Tsukishima and Hinata. Tsukishima doesn’t ignore orders from Daichi, he wouldn’t have left the Agency-”

 

“No, I think it was before that, with the blood armor attack.”  Yaku spoke up, interrupting Tetsurou. “Both Tsukishima and Hinata stayed behind to help with clean up since they were both relatively unharmed.”

 

“That was days ago.”  Kai said in disbelief.

 

“Half their team has been in and out of the medical unit.”  Tetsurou said as he once again rubbed at his tired face.

 

“Tsukishima has a brother.”  Kenma said and everyone turned to him in confusion.  “Getting a personal item from his apartment is out, if he really is being held hostage then someone will most likely be watching his place.  The same with Shouyou.”

 

“We could use his brother to locate him.”  Tetsurou wanted to hug Kenma for the idea but refrained.  It meant that if Tsukishima was at the Agency then they had to figure something else out but if he wasn’t at the Agency then things would get a bit more interesting.

 

“Here’s his number.”  By this point Tetsurou wasn’t even surprised Kenma had Tsukishima’s older brothers phone number.  He just dialed it and was slightly surprised when it was picked up on the first ring.

 

Tsukishima Akiteru was all too eager to meet up with Tetsurou.  He hadn’t heard from his brother in a couple days, which was unusual he told Tetsurou since they had been emailing regularly lately.  He had come to Tokyo hoping for answers but was turned away from the Agency the second he stepped into the building.

 

They agreed to meet at Fukunaga’s flat.  It seemed like a good neutral ground away from the Agency.  Tetsurou thought it surprised all of them when the older Tsukishima showed up, tall and lean with blonde hair but that was where the similarities between siblings ended.  Akiteru was all kindness and softness, with big worried eyes and quick apologies on his lips.

 

Tsukishima Akiteru might be a demon and made of magic the same as Tetsurou and Kei but he was a different elk altogether.  Tetsurou knew just because someone was made of magic didn’t necessarily negate that they were good at it. Magic came easy to Tetsurou and he was powerful in his own right but he knew those with a fraction of his magic to be significantly better at it than him because of the knowledge they put behind their work.  Akiteru was not powerful but Tetsurou knew that the other man most likely affected his closely related world quite often. He probably always won at scratch-offs and never burned his noodles. He would never be able to pull of big magics but if someone put a hundred powerful individuals in a room and Akiteru with it full of hey and told them to find the needle, Akiteru would most likely find it first.

 

It made the seeker spell that Kai performed to find the younger Tsukishima sibling go off simple and easy.  He was near the Agency, in the old business district that used to be the home of a large and thriving Sawamura Tree.  Slowly the citizens of Tokyo had been taking back the previously abandoned area but many parts were still unsafe and sectioned off.

 

“That’s where the tree was.”  Yamamoto said, peering over Kenma’s shoulder as the shorter looked up the location.  Tsukishima had no business being there.

 

“Don’t worry.”  Kenma stated softly.  “If he was dead, the spell wouldn’t have worked.”  It was as comforting as Kenma got and Akiteru looked on the verge of crying.

 

“Please stay here.”  Tetsurou requested because he really couldn’t order the other man around.

 

“Bring him back.”  Akiteru ordered, voice strong despite his glossy eyes.  Tetsurou nodded. He was done playing by the rules and he was almost itching for a fight by that point.  

 

They had less than twenty hours until Daichi’s sentencing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 2 or 3 more chapters left! Honestly this story was not meant to be this long, sorry about that!


	14. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Dead Man

“Kuroo, over here please!”  Tetsurou stopped at security, waving for the rest of his team to go in while he headed off to the side to speak to one of the front desk girls.  Her name was Aya Toda and she had been apart of Nekoma when he first joined the team. She was older than Tetsurou by fifteen years, the combination of bad knees and a spell gone awry meant she could no longer do field work.  One of her previous dark brown eyes were such a light shade of blue it was nearly white. She had always treated Tetsurou as a younger brother and still remembered his birthday.

 

“Hello Aya.”  Tetsurou bowed his head as he stopped before her.  She was taller than him, especially in her heels. He knew going back to the Agency was risky but he was sick of walking into situations ill prepared.  They needed armor and equipment, which was all at the Agency.

 

“Some people are looking for you, they’ve made it clear that if we are to see you to send you straight up to them.”  Aya informed him and Tetsurou’s stomach plummeted to his feet. Tetsurou glanced at the front desk where two other people were working, both of them very purposefully not looking over at him and Aya.  “Here’s a guest card because you lost yours?” Aya held out a keycard and Tetsurou finally caught on to what she was doing.

 

If he swiped his card and went through security and alert would be sent out.  Aya was giving him time to grab what he needed while also telling him he should do it as quickly and quietly as possible.

 

“Thank you.”  Tetsurou said with more raw emotion than he meant to.  Aya cupped his cheek gently, giving it a firm pinch before shooing him towards his waiting team.

 

“Everything okay?”  Kai asked, smiling over at Aya before they all started to walk together.

 

“We don’t have much time.”  Tetsurou said instead of answering.  If anyone found out Aya had done that she would get into a lot of trouble, perhaps even lose her job.  Aya had taught him to have trust in the Agency but to always keep an eye out.

 

They made it to their locker room and used Tetsurou’s guest keycard to get in.  They grabbed their items, shoving them into duffel bags and backpacks instead of changing right then and there.  Tetsurou’s heart was in his throat and he was trying not to look at his team too closely. Was he asking too much of them?  They were only doing all of this, disobeying the Agency because of him. It wasn’t a matter of if they would get in trouble but when they would.

 

Just as Tetsurou was about to tell them to put their things back the door opened, pulling all their attention to it.

 

“Here you are.”  Nekomata looked amused as always, not at all surprised to see them looking as if they were packing for battle.  He merely sounded as if he had misplaced them. “Please, continue on. Kuroo, a moment?” Tetsurou nodded as he followed Nekomata out of the locker room and into a storage room filled mostly with plastic training mats.

 

“I’m sorry.”  Tetsurou said after the door clicked shut.

 

“Whatever for my boy?”  Nekomata asked, still not losing that edge of amusement in his tone though his face had turned uncharastically serious.

 

“For everything that has happened and what is going to.”  For most likely getting Nekoma disbanded the same as Karasuno.  The younger members would be reprimanded but ultimately they would go to different teams.  The most senior members? Tetsurou knew there was really no hope for him and he hated that he had dragged Kai and Yaku down with him.

 

“Haven’t I always told you to only take credit for your own actions?  You cannot control those around you, no matter your nature.” Nekomata patted Tetsurou’s arm, there was more strength in him than he ever let on.  “Just as you can’t tell the rest of your team to remain behind while you risk your life. I knew it the moment you all came together, that you were more than just a team.”

 

“I shouldn’t ask them to do this.”  Tetsurou said, letting the truth slip out because it was Nekomata, who Tetsurou always trusted with all his insecurities.

 

“That’s what families do.”  Nekomata said with a simple shrug.  “But you’re letting your emotions cloud your thoughts again.  What does imprisoning Sawamura Daichi do for anyone else?” Tetsurou frowned at this because he knew Nekomata was right.  He had only been looking one step ahead when normally he scouted all possible outcomes.

 

“Treason means the Agency can seize all properties.”  Tetsurou wanted to hit himself because it all came back to that.  The Agency had tried to get onto the Sawamura land time and time again but to no avail.  “They can supersede Azumane Asahi’s ownership of the Sawamura land to search it.” Not only search it but take anything they want from it.  

 

They would burn it to the ground.  It would take time and effort to properly search the entirety of the property.  Real powerful magical items revealed themselves in flame, could not be destroyed by it.  They would burn everything and take from the ashes. Or they would die trying. Too many people believed that Daichi controlled the spirits of the land and Tetsurou believed that yes, he could if he so chose too but Daichi would never do such a thing.  He loved those spirits, they had kept him company during very difficult times in his life. They were his connection to his family. The spirits would defend the land.

 

But the Agency already knew that.  They had been chased off by the spirits before.

 

“They’ll strip Daichi of his powers.”  Tetsurou stated as the pieces finally fell into place.  “Whoever is doing this thinks that if they can get Daichi’s powers they will be able to control the spirits of the land.”  Tetsurou didn’t know if that was possible.

 

“It does not happen often but I’ve seen power stripped from people before.”  Nekomata looked away. “The last time was almost thirty years ago. His name was also Sawamura.”

 

“Daichi’s father?”  Tetsurou asked in surprise and Nekomata nodded.

 

“The ritual was stopped, which most likely saved Suzuki.”  Tetsurou was taken by surprise once more. “When stripping someone you need a person who is more powerful to do it, otherwise the ritual ends up with a death and destruction as the unleashed magical power has no direction and no control.  Suzuki thought he was more powerful than Sawamura but his abilities were well below the kind of power Sawamura could produce. I believe the only reason Suzuki wasn’t burned alive from the inside out was because Sawamura held back until the ritual was stopped due to insufficient evidence.”

 

Tetsurou had Kenma look up the ritual of stripping away magic on the ride to the Agency.  The information was kept purposefully vague, they didn’t want anyone trying to complete it because as Nekomata stated, it was rather dangerous.  It had hinted at a vessel being needed to contain the stolen magic, something that allowed the magic to be slowly bled out into the world instead of all at once.

 

“Suzuki’s secretary has the ability of mimicry.”  Tetsurou said slowly. Nekomata grinned and nodded slowly.

 

“Naoi and Suzuki used to get into numerous fights when they were younger.”  Nekomata stated, almost out of the blue but Tetsurou knew better. Naoi was rather talented at mind magic, the ability to attack someone not physically, but mentally.  He was always careful about it and Tetsurou had never seen him use it. “I believe one of the younger boys in Karasuno has the same talent as Suzuki, but he uses it sparingly.”

 

Most of Karasuno had a special talent, it’s what made them such a force to be reckoned with.  But Tetsurou knew Nekomata was referring to Ennoshita Chikara, who Tetsurou had believed was just an empath until recent situations proved differently.  Ennoshita could not only feel the emotions of others around him, he most definitely could influence those emotions.

 

Tetsurou remembered Daichi’s odd behavior right after he had interacted with Suzuki.  He was always around with Oguri blew up on Daichi too. Tetsurou thought the Administrator was calming Oguri down but what if he was doing the opposite?  Tetsurou had believed from the beginning that the attacks seemed so different from each other. One set was chaotic and disorganized while the other seemed meticulously planned out.

Tetsurou had initially believed that one of the attackers, their plan was just to destroy Daichi while the other had a much grander plan.  It never occurred to him that the second attacker would also want Daichi ruined. It always came back to Daichi’s family.

 

Oguri hated the Sawamura’s because they had made him look incompetent repeatedly.  First when Daichi’s parents had stolen powerful relics because they, rightfully, didn’t trust them in the hands of the Agency.  Second when they managed to get away with doing so. Third when Daichi had taken out Terushima’s father, a close and powerful friend of Oguri and a terrible human being all rolled into one.  Daichi had made Oguri look a fool again when he had searched the Sawamura land and ended up being attacked and driven out of it. Then came the big one, Oguri’s own brother having a son who had used black magic, who had tormented and mutilated his own sister.  Instead of capturing the boy like Daichi had been ordered, he had killed him and Oguri’s once powerful and wealthy family went into ruins. Too many black marks against his name for him to move any higher up the ranks.

 

Suzuki was different.  More intelligent and patient than Oguri, moving pawns into place to do his dirty work for him.  He had thought he was powerful until he met a true Power in the form of Daichi’s father. Suzuki was the one who wanted the scepter that could summon and control hoards of demons at once.  Most likely Suzuki was going to ride in to save the day at the last moment, come out at Japan's valiant protector. He couldn’t hurt Daichi’s father, but destroying Daichi would have to do.

 

“There’s less than 18 hours until his sentencing.”  Tetsurou said. He couldn’t help but feel a little hopeless.

 

“Then you better get going.”  Nekomata grinned and Tetsurou wasted no time in turning back towards the door.  “Try not to burn the world down while you’re at it.” Tetsurou glanced back at his old mentor, saw in him that hint of  _ something else _ not quite human or mortal.  Nekomata sounded intrigued by the idea of Tetsurou burning the world down trying to protect Daichi.  Tetsurou suspected it wouldn’t be the first time Nekomata had witnessed something like that.

 

“Daichi would never forgive me if I did that.”  Tetsurou said honestly before slipping out of the room.  His team was waiting in the hall for him, Kai holding up Tetsurou’s duffle bag full of his stuff.

 

Getting out of the Agency was relatively easy and Tetsurou explained everything that he had realized during his talk with Nekomata.  Everyone listened attentively as they all changed out of their civilian clothes.

 

“You know we most likely won’t ever be able to prove anything against Suzuki.”  Kenma sighed, as if he found this whole thing troublesome. Tetsurou wondered if he regretted allowing the annoying boy next door to reluctantly befriend him.

 

“We’ll table that for later.”  Kai said as he checked over his weapons.  “Right now we concentrate on getting Tsukishima and Hinata.  If we can prove they were kidnapped in return for Sawamura’s forced confession we can at least get the sentencing pushed back until we gather more evidence.”

 

“Oguri will be the easiest one to pin down.”  Yamamoto slammed his gloved hands together, knuckles-to-knuckles.  He looked ready and willing to fight.

 

“He was practically salivating at the hearing.”  Tetsurou said softly as he slid his daggers into place.

 

“Right now we concentrate on Tsukishima and Hinata, we don’t know what kind of condition they are in if they’ve been held for at least three days now.”  Yaku reminded them. “They are probably being held separately.”

 

“Wouldn’t it be easier to keep an eye on them if they were together?”  Lev asked, helping Shibayama lace up his bracers.

 

“They’d keep them separate so they could threaten them if they started acting up.”  Yaku answered, earning a deep frown from Lev in return. “Say you and Shibayama were locked up in a room together.  You could fight together, defend each other. But now I’ve separated you and you try and fight me, I tell you if you don’t cooperate I’ll give the signal to have Shibayama’s fingers broken.  What do you do?”

 

“Cooperate.”  Lev answered, looking significantly more pale.

 

“Undoubtedly with Tsukishima’s intelligent and Shouyou’s raw power they could have broken out already if they were put together.”  Kenma spoke up. “Even Shouyou alone could do it. He has so much Sprite magic in him that normal bonds used with human magic don’t work on him.  They’ll keep them close enough so Shouyou can hear everything they do to Tsukishima and keep him compliant that way.” As much as Tsukishima pretended to dislike Hinata, he would never do anything to cause the other harm.

 

“You sound like you’ve been through this before.”  Shibayama hesitantly spoke up. Kai and Yaku exchanged a look.  Before they joined Nekoma they had been apart of a team that specialized in hostage situations but it was more than that.

 

“Because we’ve experienced it before.”  Yaku said with a shrug, though it was a stiff one.  It was before Lev and Shibayama were even in training and it meant a transfer to a new team for both Yaku and Kai.

 

“Someone rescued you too?”  Lev asked, his attention focuses on Yaku though it was Kai who spoke up.

 

“No.”  Kai glanced at Yaku also.  “We had seen too many situations like that to know how it would end.  The ones who kidnapped us were too inexperienced, nervous, and they would have killed us.  They broke Yaku’s leg to get me to cooperate but I broke out instead.” It was the right choice and Tetsurou knew Yaku didn’t hold it against Kai.

 

“The people who took Tsukishima and Hinata must be professionals because they did it when the street was swarming with Agency members, police officers, civilians, and paramedics.”  Yaku pulled the conversation back to the present even as Lev moved closer to him, pressing his leg against the older mans. “They made sure to take the younger members of the team when most would assume taking Suga would be the easiest target and the one who provide the fastest results.”

 

“But Suga is a seasoned Agency member, even exhausted he would have provided too high of a risk to take.”  Kai continued. “It means they’ll most likely have lookouts and rotating guards.” Fukunaga parked the van in a secluded alley before climbing into the back to change into his own armor.  They were two streets over from the old warehouse that use to house the Sawamura tree.

 

“We have to do this fast because if they have time they will eliminate their captives and leave quickly.”  Yaku rolled his shoulders, shaking out his tension.

 

They exited the van after Fukunaga was done.  They were a strong team no matter what they had been through but there would always be an off-feeling, especially when they went out like this.  Inuoka’s sunny disposition had helped ground them in more ways than Tetsurou could count and they were still feeling his absence even years later.

 

Perhaps if Oguri and Suzuki had only targeted Daichi Nekoma wouldn’t take it so personally.  They still would have fought but more so for Tetsurou than anything else. But they had targeted the entirety of Karasuno, broke off pieces and hurt them.  Each of them had maintained a close relationship with members of Karasuno over the years, they met each others families, they crashed at each others homes and ate dinner together.  They trained and sweat and bled together. Nekoma was a lot of things but forgiving was not one of them.

 

They crept silently down the alley.  They all knew their job, what was expected of them to be carried out without having to discuss it right before they went inside.  Who was to guard outside and where they would be branching off inside. There was a large room in the back, most likely used for storage when the warehouse was in use, and off to the left was what was probably a breakroom and to the right was a bathroom.  It was the only option of where they would be able to keep Hinata and Tsukishima. Unless they had discovered the underground cavern, to which they also had a plan for.

 

They were hidden in an alley across the road from the blackened building.  Readying to separate from each other when there was a sharp yell, something breaking, and smoke rising up out of the warehouse.

 

They all took off without a word, Yaku bringing up the front with Shibayama covering their backs.  Tetsurou didn’t allow himself to look at the burnt husk of the Sawamura Tree, though he felt its loss somewhere deep inside of himself.  It hadn’t been alive the same way humans or animals were but it was sentient in its own way, almost pure and did nothing wrong. Another casualty because people blamed Daichi for their own shortcomings instead of looking inward.

 

Tetsurou expected an attack at any moment, was ready for it but they encountered no one as they went through the burnt down warehouse towards the back.

 

The backroom had hardly any fire damage except for the area around the door to the left, it was blackened to a crisp.  Tetsurou stopped when he realized the thing curled up on the ground was a body, still smoking. Daichi had once made Tetsurou watch a documentary on Pompeii and near the end they had shown a curled up victim of the deadly ash and lava.  That’s what the corpse in front of them looked like.

 

Tetsurou eased around the door, spotted three more bodies in much the same state.  The warm wind of pure magic that hit him only made him stumble back in surprise, not from the actual force of it.  He knew that magic. There was only one person who he knew whose magic reacted differently from friend and foe.

 

“Hinata?”  Tetsurou questioned hesitantly.  It was almost hard to look at him with how brightly he was glowing.  His hand was held up, readying another attack until he heard his name.

 

“Shouyou?”  Kenma’s less hesitant voice spoke up.  Hinata’s hand dropped along with the unnatural glow, his eyes returning to their normal light brown as he looked at them with confusion.  He was dirty and grimy, his hair matted down with what looked like dried blood. Behind him was Tsukishima looking worse. “Can we come in?”

 

“Yeah.”  Hinata’s voice cracked, it was raspier than Tetsurou had ever heard it but it was his voice so they all stepped in, purposefully ignoring the bodies littered on the floor.  Hinata still looked a little confused.

 

“He has a concussion.”  Tsukishima stated as Tetsurou knelt next to him.  He pulled out a knife to cut through the zipties that were holding Tsukishima’s hands behind his back and his ankles together.  The skin around them was raw and bleeding. “How did you find us?”

 

“Your brother came looking for you.”  Tetsurou answered and because he was so close he saw pure panic in Tsukishima’s eyes and face before he forcefully closed that down.  “He’s safe.” Tsukishima took a shaky breath. His face looked as if someone had been using him as a punching bag.

 

Tetsurou could guess what happened by the positioning of the bodies.  Most likely Hinata had tried something and they had started to beat Tsukishima for that.  Hinata was gaining rapid control of his abilities but he still had a long way to go, most of it was instinctual.  His powers worked like those of nature with him being the control tower. He wouldn’t know how to make them stop hurting Tsukishima but he willed it so his powers took over and solved the problem for him.  They would probably find more bodies in the bathroom where Hinata had broken out of, the one guard by the door had taken the first hit as he stepped forward to check it out, the others in the room had stepped away from Tsukishima to secure Hinata when they took a second hit.

 

The wall and floor around Tsukishima was perfectly clear except for blood splatters, the wall and floor everywhere else looked like a high intensity fire.  It smelled like ozone.

 

“Come on.”  Tetsurou said, softer than he meant to as he touched Tsukishima’s hair, petting it carefully.  If it was any other time Tsukishima would have told him off but his usual guard was down so he leaned against Tetsurou as they all made their way out.

 

“Yamamoto and Lev come with me, we’ll bring the van closer.”  Yaku ordered and the other two followed him without question.

 

“Sawamura-” Tsukishima said quickly, worry lacing his tone.

 

“It’s fine.”  Tetsurou told him even though it was a lie.  They had Tsukishima and Hinata but that wasn’t enough evidence to get Daichi a retrial, especially since he had already plead guilty.  Tsukishima didn’t need to know that, he was clearly feeling guilty enough.

 

They were down to twelve hours.

  
  
  
  


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They ended up taking Tsukishima and Hinata to Kai’s sisters place.  She lived a little outside the city and worked as a nurse. She was livid that they hadn’t taken them immediately to a hospital but Kai pulled her off to the side, said a few words, and then she was buzzing around them, doing what she could.  A hospital might not be safe just yet but Tetsurou swore they would get properly looked at as soon as all this was handled.

 

Hinata hovered close to Tsukishima, who allowed it without even a mean look directed towards the shorter man.  It was to be expected. Most likely they would be protective of each other for a while yet, perhaps for years to come.  They had been forming their own sort of friendship over the years of working together. Daichi had always wanted them to get along better but he hadn’t meant for it to happen like this.

 

“What do we do now?”  Yaku asked. They were all gathered in the kitchen, where Kai’s sister had made them sit down and eat something.

 

“We go for the weak link.”  Tetsurou stated as he finished off his rice.  “We would need more time to find evidence against Oguri and Suzuki would have covered his tracks but there’s someone else.”

 

“Suzuki’s assistant.”  Kenma stated as he pulled out his phone, beginning to type away on it.

 

“Let’s go over a timeline.”  Tetsurou said before making Kai dig up some paper and a pencil.  They left Kenma alone to do his own thing as they started a timeline for the past month.  Tetsurou tried not to pay attention to the clicking of the clock and put his full concentration on the task at hand.  When others were talking he felt around inside himself, pressed his metaphorical forehead against the wall between himself and Daichi.

 

Several hours later Kenma put his phone down on the table.  A grainy white and black video was on the screen. He clicked the play button without a word.

 

A tall thin woman in too-tall high heels and a large bag over her shoulder slipped down the alley.  Tetsurou’s heart beat faster in his chest as he looked down at the time stamp in the bottom corner of the screen.  He knew that day, that time.

 

What felt like a lifetime but by the time at the bottom of the screen was only sixteen minutes, a familiar figure walked out.  Broad shouldered, taller than those who gave him a wide berth of space.

 

A woman had walked into that alley and Ushijima had walked out of it.  During the time that he was on camera at the Agency. Tetsurou had forgotten he had requested all available surveillance tapes from a three block radius surrounding Terushima and Daichi’s place after the black magicked items had been put in their flat.

 

“She walks down the street, which I followed by a couple cameras and gets into this car.”  Kenma explains as he clicks on another video. It’s a new and expensive car. Kenma goes to what is a traffic camera and shows both driver and passenger.  “He went through a red light.”

 

“Is that Oguri?”  Tetsurou asked, the face familiar but still grainy and pixelated.

 

“Close.  I ran the plate.”  Kenma pulled up a driver's license and Tetsurou was left speechless.  “It’s his brother.” The one who most likely blamed Daichi for how his life turned out.  The one who had let his son kill homeless people and small animals and mutilate his little sister.

 

But that wasn’t why Tetsurou was so surprised.

 

Tetsurou was out of his seat and across the house within a moment.  He could hear people tripping over themselves to follow him, groaning as they stretched muscles that had been sitting too long.  Tetsurou shoved his shoes onto his feet.

 

“Some of you should stay here.”  To guard Kai’s sister and the two Karasuno members who were too injured to guard themselves.

 

They decided quickly because Tetsurou was already out the door.  Kai, Yaku, and Kenma ended up going with Tetsurou in the van as he drove back into the city.

 

“Would you like to explain what has put that murderous look on your face?”  Kai asked conversationally from the passenger seat as Tetsurou weaved in and out of traffic.

 

“I know Oguri’s brother.”  Tetsurou nearly spat out before taking a deep breath to calm himself down.  Why didn’t he put it together before? “He lives in the same complex as Terushima and Daichi.  I’ve met him. I thought his disdain was because I was always there and didn’t pay rent or we are so much younger than him, you know the normal thing rich older guys think they are entitled to.”

 

“You think you can beat a confession out of him?”  Yaku asked, merely sounding curious and not alarmed at all.

 

“I think he better hope he’s not there when I break into his apartment.”  Tetsurou curses Tokyo traffic. It was dark outside now.

 

They had five hours left.

 

“I told you I talked to Suguru about Daichi, back when he couldn’t sleep and Terushima was avoiding the flat.”  Tetsurou reminded them. “He said someone would have to continually pour power into the spell for it to work as slowly without getting noticed.”

 

“Which never explained how they did it.”  Yaku said slowly. “You think his place is below Daichi’s?”

 

“I think we’re going to find out.”  Tetsurou stated as they made their way towards the apartment building.

 

It took too much time and Tetsurou ended up parking illegally but he couldn’t care about that right then.  In the car Kenma had sent all the evidence to Nekomata but Tetsurou didn’t know if that would be enough to help clear Daichi.  They needed all the help they could.

 

“Aoi am I glad to see you.”  Tetsurou said truthfully as he walked into the building.

 

“What do you need now?”  Aoi asked with clear suspicion.  Tetsurou laid out what he could to her, trying to make it as clear and concise as possible even if it felt like something was pushing down on his shoulders, making it hard for him to think straight.  “Wait, did you say it was making it impossible for him to sleep?”

 

If the black magic had effected Daichi and Terushima than it would have most likely spread to other apartments.  Not as bad as it had hit Daichi but others would feel it. Aoi didn’t say anything but clearly there had been some reports, some strange and unexplainable behavior.

 

“I know I’m asking you a lot but if you open the door I should be able to feel it.”  Tetsurou pleaded, hoping he was right in his guess.

 

Aoi deliberated for a moment before something hard settled over her face.

 

“If this turns out to be nothing I have your permission to hit you as hard as I can.”  Aoi nearly growled out before moving around her desk and over to the elevator. Everyone followed her to it before it smoothly glided up.

 

Tetsurou had been right, Oguri’s brother did live on the floor below Daichi.  Aoi let them over to an unassuming brown door before she unlocked it.

 

“He hasn’t been home for three days.”  Aoi explained. “I thought he was just away on a business meeting.”  Her voice had automatically gotten quieter when she opened the door, even though she knew he wasn’t home.

 

Tetsurou didn’t feel anything besides disappoint when the door opened.  He expected something big, a wave of putrid power or a scent of decay. But there was nothing except a dimly lit, sparsely decorated apartment beyond.

 

Tetsurou took a step inside even as Aoi made a disgruntled noise, following him in and grabbing his arm to presumably drag him back out.  It was then that something did hit them and Aoi wavered, fingers digging into Tetsurou’s arm as she let out a low, wounded sound.

 

Tetsurou pushed her out quickly, letting Kai grab her as she collapsed.

 

“Don’t come in here,” Tetsurou ordered before seeing the sigils carved into the doorframe.  It kept everything inside so they couldn’t feel it from the hall.

 

“You should come out too if it’s that strong.”  Kenma advised but both of them knew he wouldn’t do that.

 

Tetsurou stepped lightly down the hall, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dark.  He never had a problem with the dark and he let his magic slide out of him, around him.  Testing the air and finding the source of the build up of magic.

 

Down the hall and to the left, where Tetsurou was nearly positive was right below Daichi’s room, is when physical signs of the dark magic used here started.  The wood was heavily warped, though Tetsurou knew this was a new building. Dark stains bled down the walls, peeling paint and broken plaster.

 

Tetsurou grabbed the doorknob, felt something try to grab him back but like the black magic he had experienced so far, it slid off of him like water.  He could feel it all around him, thick and oppressive, waiting to harm and hurt but it could not affect him. Tetsurou turned the doorknob and had to immediately cover his mouth and nose at the stench.

 

Tetsurou walked back out of the apartment quickly after that, glad that there wasn’t much in his stomach.  He had always thought he was unaffected by death but he had never seen a scene such as that.

 

“We’ve called it in.”  Yaku said as Tetsurou stepped back into the hall, taking deep breaths of the clean air but feeling as if the smell of death, decay, and horror would stick with him for a while yet.

 

“Tell them to bring priests.”  Tetsurou said. A dozen priests working all day and night for a week straight wouldn’t be able to purify that apartment but the black magic was least likely to affect them.  Plus they would know how to handle the dead who were stuck to that place of terror.

  
  
  
  


\---------------

  
  
  
  


“You don’t have to do this.”  Yaku said softly, standing much closer to Lev than he ever had.  At least while they were in public. Lev’s shoulders were curled inwards, his attention all for Yaku.  “They have the evidence in the apartment and from the deceased bodies.”

 

“But it could help, right?”  Lev asked, shuffling even closer to Yaku and looking a little lost.

 

They were down in the sub-basement of Section Ones building.  It was the morgue. Tetsurou never had a reason to visit but it was as cold and isolated as he thought it might be.  There was only an hour left until Daichi’s sentencing. Autopsies were about to begin on the eleven bodies found in the apartment.  The latest one was guessed to have died within the past day, left to bleed out slowly and starve on the bed.

 

“It could.”  Yaku admitted reluctantly.

 

Lev was a necromancer.  There were a couple investigators who would have loved to get their hands on him but Tetsurou had always made sure no one used Lev before he was ready.  Now he was asking Lev to use his ability and it made him feel sick of himself for it.

 

“Yaku’s right, you don’t have-” Tetsurou started, ashamed that he had even suggested it but Lev stood up to his full, and impressive, height.

 

“No I’ll do it.”  Lev said, his voice firm and overconfident as usual.  “There’s nothing to fear from the dead. I see them all the time.”  Lev marched into the morgue where the bodies were laid out. Tetsurou thanks the technicians who had covered all but one of the bodies.

 

“We haven’t gotten any identification yet.”  The doctor spoke up, holding a tablet in her hands and looking over them all.

 

“That’s fine.”  Lev said, eyes on the table with the young man on it.  Lev closed his eyes before reaching out.

 

Lev was born and raised in Japan, he always stated he didn’t know any Russian and had never even visited there before.  But the words that spilled out of his mouth definitely weren’t Japanese but sounded Russian to Tetsurou’s untrained ear.

 

When Lev opened his eyes there was a fog over them.

 

“I know, I’m sorry.”  Lev apologized. Slowly before them the beginnings of a shape formed above the body before lowering itself into it.

 

“I’m tired.”  The dead man whisper, eyes milky white as they opened and stared over at Lev.

 

“You can rest soon.”  Lev promised. “Can you tell us your name?”

 

“Ikuta Toma.”  The man answered, unable to ignore a question from a necromancer.

 

“Ikuta what happened to you?”  Lev asked and the man’s face looked anguished.

 

“He said he had a job, I could stay in his spare room for the night.  I just wanted to sleep on a real bed for one night.” Ikuta answered, voice soft and mournful.  Tetsurou guessed he was probably homeless. “There was a funny smell in the car and then nothing.  I woke up unable to move and he cut me. The wounds wouldn’t close and the blood kept coming out. All around me were bodies and I couldn’t think straight.”  The press of black magic was probably agonizing for him. It had fed off his fear and was made stronger by it.

 

“Did you see anyone else?”  Lev asked.

 

“I didn’t see anyone.”  Ikuta answered. “But I heard someone else.  The man who took me called him brother.”

 

“Thank you Ikuta, please rest now.”  Lev reached out but the man suddenly grabbed Lev’s wrist, it’s movements stiff and jerky. Yaku stiffened next to Tetsurou but Lev didn’t look like he was panicked.

 

“What if I go into the dark again?  I-I wasn’t good.” Ikuta whispered fearfully.  “What if I close my eyes and wake up right back in that place?  I didn’t so many bad things, I was just trying to survive.” There were no tears but he was sobbing.

 

“The edges of your soul are dark but inside is good, there is no dark place for you.”  Lev promised as he used his free hand to put the man's arm back down on the table. “You’re going to close your eyes and when you open them again this will all be but a distant, hazy memory.”  The man closed his eyes and they all felt something shift in the room.

 

The doctor looked surprised but she had managed to catch it all on recording.

 

“Kuroo, the time.”  Yaku reminded Tetsurou as he stepped closer to Lev, letting the taller man lean on him as he blinked suddenly clear eyes down at Yaku.  “Go, I’ll take care of things here.”

 

Tetsurou nodded and walked as fast as he could out of the morgue.

 

It was all turning around but none of it seemed to be enough.  All the information and evidence pointed towards Suzuki’s assistant, Oguri and his brother but none of it disproved that Daichi wasn’t apart of it.  Daichi also still believed that Tsukishima and Hinata were held hostage.

 

Tetsurou walked into the amphitheatre-like room with five minutes to spare.  There were more people than he expected to show up and he sat down quickly next to Koutarou and Akaashi, who both gave him a worried look.  Tetsurou knew he probably looked as good as he felt, which was terrible. He didn’t have time to worry about that because the doors were opening and Daichi was being led to the center once again.

 

Daichi looked rough.  The month hadn’t been kind to him and spending another night in a holding cell hadn’t helped.  He was probably worried about his team, blaming himself for everything that had happened. He knew the easiest way to get rid of hostages after everything was over was just to kill them but still he stood there, in manacles and chains.

 

“We are here for the sentencing of Sawamura Daichi, who has plead and been found guilty of all charges filed against him.”  The woman from the day before spoke once more. “Do you have any last words?” It was meant as a time to apologize for past deeds, plead for a lesser sentence.  Daichi would do none of those things and Tetsurou could see what he was planning to say as he opened his mouth.

 

Tetsurou stood up and was speaking before he had even really formulated a plan.

 

“Sit down right this instant or you will be removed!”  Oguri yelled, turning an unflattering shade of red. Tetsurou was too busy concentrating on Daichi for him to pay any attention to Oguri.  Though his time would come.

 

“I just want to say one thing to him, it might be the last chance.”  Tetsurou said, voice surprisingly strong for how weak he felt.

 

“Go on.”  The woman advised.  Daichi wouldn’t look at Tetsurou but that was fine, he just needed to be listening.

 

“I’ll protect those you care about even when you can’t, especially those like Tsukishima and Hinata.”  Tetsurou stated, making sure to speak up. Daichi finally looked over at him, studying Tetsurou for a moment before looking away.  Tetsurou sat down heavily.

 

“Anyone else?”  The woman asked, waiting a pause to which there was only silence.  “Now Sawamura Daichi, do you have anything to say?”

 

Daichi looked like he was taking a deep breath, his shoulders and chest expanding before he looked over at Tetsurou once more.  Before there had been set resignation in the way he held himself but now Tetsurou could see something else. Something that only people who knew Daichi well could see.

 

Amusement and mischief.  Daichi was about to do something to throw a wrench in Oguri and Suzuki’s plan and he knew it.

 

“I would like a retrial.”  Daichi looked back at the council.  Oguri was sputtering mad but he spoke over the outrage.  “A retrial by Archangel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be real with you guys, this entire story premise was based around the ending of this story. Who else knows the frustration of knowing how a story ends but not knowing how to write the beginning and middle part?


	15. Kuroo Tetsurou and the Forgotten Child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning: This chapter gets graphic with violence, gore, blood, injuries and talk of past suicides.**

“We are not going to play along with this farce!”  Oguri yelled, his face getting progressive redder. Tetsurou sat back in his seat as he looked at the stone statues around the stage area.  Of course he had heard of the Archangels, they all had names like Harmony or Justice. Tetsurou had always thought they’d make great Magical Girls, though the statues were far more ominous and andrimonous in looks and stature.  They were supposed to be an unbiased form to call upon in times of great unrest.

 

“He has the right.”  The older Ukai said with a shrug.  Tetsurou had seen the older man several times, he was a good judge of how his grandson would look in forty years.  It was hard to see any give in him but he looked highly satisfied right then. As if he was playing a long game of chess and had just spotted his end game.

 

“You-” Oguri turned on Ukai but Suzuki stepped in with a few words.

 

“Ukai is right, he does have the right for a retrial by this method.”  Another council member spoke up. “Choose your judge and the one who will question you.”

 

“I choose Truth.”  Daichi said, voice clear in the large room.  Something brushed against Tetsurou’s back, if he was a cat it would be akin to someone brushing fur the wrong way.  He knew that teasing phantom touch but only from the Sawamura Land.

 

Tetsurou had told Daichi about it a long time ago.  The soft tugs on his ear, something winding around his legs but when he looked down there was nothing, a light push in an empty hallway.  Daichi had laughed and said it was the Spirit.

 

_“Wait, you said Spirit as in captain S?  The Spirit.” Tetsurou twisted around from his prone position on Daichi’s bed.  They were relaxing in Miyagi, at Daichi’s house on an unusual couple days off. These didn’t happen often and when Daichi had texted him to meet at the train station, Tetsurou had shoved clothes into a bag without really looking and sprinted there._

 

_“Sounds like a superhero name.”  Daichi’s hand went back to running through Tetsurou’s hair as he laid half on top the shorter man, his chin resting on an impressive peck.  They were bare except for the sheet pulled over their bodies and had been that way for most of the day. Only leaving the bed to use the bathroom or get food._

 

_“Dai-chi.”  Tetsurou grumbled, digging his chin into the skin beneath him purposefully.  Daichi laughed and pulled on Tetsurou’s hair lightly to get him to stop._

 

_“Yes, it is The Spirit.”  Daichi grinned down at Tetsurou, putting his free arm behind his head to angle it a little better.  He looked relaxed and happy. Tetsurou knew part of that was due to where they were at and how they had left most of their numerous responsibilities back in Tokyo.  But that smile, that incredibly soft and wonderful smile, Tetsurou took credit for that._

 

_“Do they not want me here?”  Tetsurou asked._

 

_“Does it feel mean or malicious in anyway?”  Daichi asked Tetsurou back instead of just giving him a straight answer.  Tetsurou laid his head against Daichi’s chest, listened to the other man's steady heartbeat._

 

_“No, it feels playful.”  Like a sibling teasing. Tetsurou was an only child so he didn’t know what that really felt like but it was part fondness and part annoyance, which felt about right.  “So, are you up for another round or does the old man need to rest a little while longer?” Tetsurou smirked up at Daichi, who pushed his face away and got off the bed.  Which is the opposite of what Tetsurou wanted._

 

_“Food first.”  Daichi prompted, striding towards the door and giving Tetsurou a good few of a muscular back, ass, and legs.  “Are you coming? Oh, poor choice of words, stop giving me that look.” Tetsurou laughed as he followed Daichi out._

 

Tetsurou didn’t know the Spirit of the Sawamura Land could actually leave the land.

 

The statue moved off its pedestal, it’s movements stiff as it made its way over to Daichi.  Daichi didn’t look concerned about having a three meter tall stone statue with a spear even longer than it coming up behind him.  Daichi’s full concentration was on one person.

 

“I choose Director Oguri.”  Daichi stated smoothly, chin tilting defiantly up.  Oguri’s mouth pressed into a thin line but he stood up and walked down, facing off against Daichi.

 

There was a distinct difference in the men.  Daichi had mancles on his wrists, attached to a bar so that he couldn’t bring his hands together.  There was a chain around his ankles, loose enough to let him walk in stilted, short steps. Tetsurou could see the sigils they had written on Daichi’s neck and arms, restraining his magic and most likely keeping him slower and weaker.  There was a couple days growth on his face, dark circles beneath his eyes that Tetsurou could see from a distance, and they had put him in a blue jumpsuit like a criminal.

 

Oguri was dressed in a nice and probably custom made suit.  It hid the softening lines of the older man's body while accentuating his broad shoulders.  His hair was perfectly styled and his face clean shaven. He looked well rested and even better fed.

 

It should have been ridiculous, it should have made a statement that Daichi was the clear criminal between the two.  But there was something dignified in Daichi’s stance, as if he was chained and shackled and treated as a common criminal.  He watched Oguri with cool disinterest. Oguri was red faced and sweating.

 

“Let the trail begin.”  The woman on the council said.  Truth twisted its spear, stone wings spreading wide before it stopped suddenly and in one swift movement pierced Daichi through the chest with the spear.  Tetsurou jerked in his seat as if he had been the one stabbed. “You understand how Truth works? You will be questioned with the spear in you. When it is removed after the questions are done and you have spoken any falsehoods a hole will appear through your chest.  The more lies you tell the more damage the spear will do.”

 

“I understand.”  Daichi said, voice still strong despite the fact that he had a stone spear that was over three meters long stuck through his chest.  “As your questions.” Oguri’s face twisted uglily before smoothing out.

 

“Are you responsible for the attacks that have occured on not only the Agency but Japan and its citizens?”  Oguri asked. Daichi glanced down at the spear before lifting his head up.

 

“Yes.”  Daichi stated and there was a buzz throughout the whole room.  Tetsurou had forgotten how many other people have shown up for the sentencing.

 

“You see?”  Oguri motioned to Daichi as he turned towards the council.  “He admits his guilt once again, why are we feeding into this scream for attention?  He is clearly just stalling for time.”

 

“One question?  That’s the best you can do?”  Daichi prodded Oguri, who turned on him angrily.  Clearly Daichi had been spending too much time around Sugawara.  Or perhaps Tetsurou was to blame for the provocation increase.

 

“Are you happy with the Agency?”  Oguri asked. Tetsurou admitted he was a good politician, skating around the questions he knew would lead back to him and asking the ones that would paint Daichi in a negative light.

 

“No.”  Daichi frowned at that.  Who would be happy with the place that was trying to frame them for mass murder and treason?

 

“Before this incident, were you happy with the Agency?”  Oguri asked, smug look back on his face.

 

“No.”  Daichi admitted.

 

“Despite your background the Agency still gave you a team to lead, they gave you a position of power and all the perks that came with it but you still weren’t happy with them?”  Oguri asked, walking closer to Daichi.

 

“No-” Daichi tried to speak more but Oguri cut him off.

 

“You know where all the pieces of the scepter are, don’t you?”  Oguri asked, mouth twisting into an almost gleeful grin.

 

“Yes-”

 

“And is it true that you’ve not only studied black magic, which is forbidden, but also performed it?  Performed blood magic on multiple occasions?” Oguri asked.

 

“Yes I have-” But Oguri still wouldn’t let Daichi speak past his confession.  Tetsurou’s fingers curled towards his palms, his knuckles bleaching of color in withheld anger.

 

“You’ve had personal, previous contact with all of those involved with the numerous attacks?”  Oguri asked.

 

“Yes-”

 

“You’ve even seen one of those attackers quite recently, you keep in contact with the one who killed ten people to make blood armor that destroyed part of downtown Tokyo?  The same person who attacked members of your own team, you were close to him?” Oguri asked, which was the exact wrong direction to take it. Tetsurou had been worried for a moment.  If Oguri had kept his attacks aimed at Daichi then Daichi would more than likely allow it to happen. But Oguri had attacked someone Daichi had loved. Someone he had lost only recently, the wound still fresh and tender.

 

“Ikejiri was not responsible for those deaths.”  Daichi’s voice was hard, his stare icy. “He was only a pawn.  Why don’t you ask me who’s pawn he was? Or who really killed those ten innocent people and why?  Why don’t you ask me if I’m really guilty of all the charges laid against me and if I’m not then why would I plead guilty?”  Truth’s head turned towards Oguri, who stepped back hastily to put some distance between him and the statue.

 

“He makes a fair point.”  Ukai drawls slowly from his seat, arms crossed against his chest.  But Oguri remains silent.

 

“I am not guilty though I do feel responsible for everything that has happened.  I confessed because two of my own people were taken hostage and their lives were threatened if I didn’t agree to cooperate.”  Daichi stared Oguri down. “Now ask me who forced this deal upon me, _Director Oguri_.”

 

“This is an outrage!”  Oguri shouted, finally regaining his voice.  “I have served the Agency loyally for twenty years, I will not be questioned by some spoiled child who has Ukai smooth over any ruffled feathers everytime he breaks the rules because they don’t suit his needs.  This trial is over!” Truth pulled the spear from Daichi before moving back to its pedestal. There wasn’t even a hole in the jumpsuit.

 

“You’re incompetent.”  Daichi stated and the air was suddenly filled with tension, everyone unconsciously holding their breath for what was to happen next.  “It’s why you’ve never moved up further in the ranks, incompetency. You let pettiness rule your choices. You aided the deaths of dozens of people because you wanted to settle some imagined score against my parents?  Against me? And you couldn’t even do that right.” Oguri charged towards Daichi.

 

“Oguri!”  Someone called out from the council.  Tetsurou stood up, willing to jump down and defend Daichi but he was already moving.

 

Chained and shackled Daichi still managed to pin Oguri to the floor.

 

“Sawamura, at this moment you are in the right.  We clearly have to investigate further and recant your previous plead of guilt.  But that will only happen if you let him up.” The woman spoke up but no one moved to help Oguri or stop Daichi.

 

They all knew Daichi had every right to be angry.  Daichi might be cleared of all charges but his reputation, his career was ruined.  The damage had been done. Daichi believed the deaths were on his hands also. So much death and destruction and for what?  Oguri had attacked first, Daichi had the right.

 

But then again Daichi wouldn’t be Daichi if he didn’t get off of Oguri and let the guards take it from there.  They gave Daichi a wide berth of space because they knew his abilities now. That even though he was spelled and chained he could and would defend himself.

 

The council was making an announcement, clearing Daichi of current charges pending further investigation but Tetsurou didn’t care.  He didn’t care that it was rude to get up and leave when someone, especially when that someone was basically in charge of his job, was speaking.  All he wanted was to see Daichi, to touch him and confirm that he wasn’t too late.

 

“Kuroo.”  Tetsurou slid to a stop and turned towards Fukunaga, who must have been waiting outside the door.  Tetsurou hadn’t noticed him at all. “They arrested Suzuki’s assistant, they have her confession that Director Oguri’s brother hired her but he’s bankrupt.  The payments came from an account linked to Director Oguri, they were waiting to arrest him after the trial.” Because they didn’t want to publicly humiliate him.  This entire thing was handled poorly and now people were already trying to cover up how incompetent everyone involved was. Once again Daichi was the one taking the fall for it all.

 

“Have they found Oguri’s brother?”  Tetsurou asked to which Fukunaga shook his head.  “Thank you.” Tetsurou turned around and ran down the hall, slowly to a stop once he spotted the one person he wanted to see above all others.

 

They were removing the bar from his arms, though the manacles, chain around his ankles, and sigils were still in place.  He looked worse up close but definitely better in the same instant. Short hair unusually tidy, a full beard with dark circles beneath his eyes.  The freckles spread over his nose and cheeks stood out stark on unusually pallid skin.

 

Daichi’s head turned and dark eyes scanned over Tetsurou.  Tetsurou doubted he looked much better. It had been over 24 hours since he had last slept and half a day since he had anything to eat.  He was running on steam but that didn’t stop him from taking the few more steps to Daichi and throwing his arms around the shorter mans shoulders.  Daichi’s face fit perfectly in the junction of Tetsurou’s neck and shoulder, his beard was scratchy.

 

“You don’t know when to give up, do you?”  Daichi asked but his arms were tight around Tetsurou’s torso, a shuddering breath at Tetsurou felt himself echo.

 

“Not when it comes to you.”  Tetsurou answered honestly, feeling Daichi’s arms tighten around him a fraction more.  Tetsurou turned his head, buried his nose in Daichi hair and took a deep breath. It wasn’t over, Daichi had admitted to the study and use of black magic and none of the evidence they had gathered pointed back to Administrator Suzuki but Tetsurou pushed that to the side.

 

“Sorry to interrupt but we should get those sigils removed.”  A slightly familiar sounding voice spoke up. Tetsurou looked over Daichi’s head to see Semi Eita, Shiratorizawa’s own priest, standing a couple meters away with two nameless guards.  Tetsurou stiffened slightly as he met the dark eyes that belonged to Tendou Satori.

 

If it had been for any other reason Tetsurou would have just held onto Daichi tighter but Semi was right, the sigils needed to be removed.  Not only because they were unnecessary, Daichi had just proven he didn’t need magic or even all of his strength to defend himself, but because they were dangerous.  The sigils were only meant for temporary use, they became more painful and damaging the longer they were applied.

 

When Tetsurou was in school he took a course in Magical Psychology.  In the 50s they had conducted research on deathrow inmates in the states.  After the studies were finished they left the sigils on the prisoners, packed up and just left.  Years later in the early 70s another group had come to interview the prisoners about the effect the old studies had on them only to learn that each and every single one had killed themself.  The guards who had worked during that time had all quit, reporting they couldn’t stand the constant screams of pure agony. The sigils had burned themselves into the inmates skin, right down to the muscle and bone, making it impossible to remove even when they did manage to get someone down to do it.

 

It was a cautionary tale he had relearned when he joined the Agency.  Even the most basic magics, the ones that were only meant to aid could turn into something nasty if left unchecked.  Tetsurou didn’t want the sigils on Daichi any longer than necessary.

 

So with another squeeze Tetsurou reluctantly let Daichi go.  Part of him wanted to demand he come with Daichi but the other, bigger part knew he couldn’t do that.  Daichi wouldn’t appreciate being coddled and Tetsurou still had a couple tasks that needed to be completed.

 

“Tsukishima and Hinata are really okay?”  Daichi asked even as he took a step back to Semi, the chains around his ankles making too much noise in the quiet hallway.

 

“They are fine and safe.”  Tetsurou promised. The kidnappers had been unlucky in more ways than one when they had taken Tsukishima and Hinata.  If it had been the other two youngest juniors, Kageyama and Yamaguchi, Tetsurou would have worried more about the injuries.  Tsukishima was a demon and Hinata half Sprite, which meant they both healed quite a bit faster than an average human. Shibayama had even confirmed that after a bit of food and rest, Hinata was no longer showing any signs of a concussion.  Tetsurou had promised Kai’s sister he would make sure they saw a doctor with actual equipment to make sure there wasn’t any internal bleeding or breakage, so he would do so.

 

Daichi looked partially relieved but Tetsurou knew the other man wouldn’t completely relax until he saw and was able to touch each and every one of his team.

 

“Come on,” Semi put his hand on Daichi’s shoulder with a resigned looked.  When Tetsurou had first met Semi he had been full of bitterness, his much younger junior had taken his place in the team and he hadn’t handled it too well.  It had been years since then and something had loosened up in him, though he was still jagged around the edges. It was clear he cared deeply for his team and surprisingly enough, seemed to genuinely like Daichi.  “Tendou?” Semi questioned as he walked down the hall with Daichi and the two guards.

 

“I’ll be right there Semisemi.”  Tendou said with a grin that made Tetsurou want to back up.

 

Despite Tetsurou’s closeness with Tsukishima and Oikawa, two other demons in Tetsurou’s life, he had been taught to stay clear of his own kind.  Just as there were different types of humans and other supernatural beings, there were many different kinds of demons. Tetsurou was a Chaos demon, along with Tsukishima and Oikawa.  Tendou was a Desolation demon. Truthfully Tetsurou didn’t know how Tendou managed to join the Agency, let alone get onto one of the most powerful teams in Section Five.

 

It’s not as if Tetsurou had met many Desolation demons in his time, but they tended to be lonely and isolated.  They had the hardest time emphasizing with not only humans but even their own kind. Tetsurou’s mother had told him there wasn’t many to begin with because they didn’t reproduce often and even when they did they tended to abandon the babies because they couldn’t forge a connection with them.

 

There was something off about Tendou but not in the way Tetsurou had thought a Desolation demon would act.  He genuinely seemed to care and trust his teammates, even to the point of dating one of them. Tetsurou had first thought it was Tendou pretending at being human, but there was nothing pretend about how much he coddled the junior member with the bowl cut or how he looked after Semi as he walked down the hall with Daichi.

 

“Kuroo.”  It was Koutarou’s voice, dropped an octave lower than his usual register.  It was his normal tone when dealing with the unknown, which Tendou was. It allowed Tetsurou to break off his stare down with Tendou and turn to Koutarou.  “Kenma’s been keeping Akaashi updated but could you explain everything again?” Koutarou gave Tendou a nod of recognition before he motioned to Tetsurou to follow him and Akaashi.  Tetsurou grinned, knowing Koutarou was curious but also allowing Tetsurou to leave Tendou behind without a confrontation.

 

“I have to go pick up Tsukishima and Hinata so I’ll explain on the way.”  Tetsurou offered as he took a couple steps towards Koutarou when he felt something shift in the air.

 

Tetsurou turned around with a frown on his face, saw the recognition on Tendou’s face a split second before he bolted down the hallway.  Tetsurou followed after him, surprised at Tendou’s speed but it was too late.

 

A body went flying into Tendou, who caught the person and took the brunt of the fall as they both slammed into the opposing wall.  Another shift in the air, magic being pulled and expended at a rapid pace as Tetsurou took the corner and slid in something wet. He barely managed to catch himself on wall as he looked around for Daichi, even though he knew the other man would be nowhere in sight.

 

“Get medics down here now!”  Koutarou shouted. His voice sounded oddly far away to Tetsurou even though he was close by.  Tetsurou looked down at his feet, saw the smeared blood he had slipped in.

 

The two guards were dead, their throats neatly cut out.  They probably didn’t even know what hit them. Tetsurou turned around slowly, saw Tendou holding a bloodied hand over Semi’s throat.  The priest was still sprawled over Tendou who was trying to staunch the bleeding.

 

“Kuroo.”  Koutarou said his name repeatedly but Tetsurou could only see the blood in front of him.  The shift in the air had been teleportation magic, rare and extremely difficult especially when put into high stress situations.  “Kuroo!” The heaviness in the air had been Daichi’s own magic, Tetsurou would know that feel anywhere. It had responded slowly to Daichi because of the heavy wards put on him by the chains and sigils.  “Tetsurou, your eyes!” Koutarou pulled Tetsurou away with a soft hiss.

 

Tetsurou hadn’t even noticed that colors had faded while everything came into sharper detail.  It was an easy way to know that his eyes had shifted to black, that the demonic part of him was closer to the surface.

 

“They took Daichi.”  Tetsurou said, the words coming slower to him than they usually did.

 

“I know but we’ll get him back.”  Koutarou promised. “They wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to get him just to kill him right away.”  Koutarou’s blunt assessment managed to shake Tetsurou out of whatever shock he had fallen into. He was right, Daichi would be kept alive but every moment he wasted panicking or feeling sorry for himself was another moment they would use to torture him.

 

“Director Oguri has a brother, we need to find out if either of them has any property and where.”  Tetsurou rubbed his face as people rushed into the hall. Tetsurou was taking a gamble that it was Oguri’s doing and not Suzuki’s.  Suzuki had seemed like the more cautious one, when his plan failed he would have pulled back completely from the situation.

 

Koutarou relaid the orders to his own team.  Tetsurou hadn’t even noticed the rest of Fukurodani had shown up, which was an issue.  He looked around for Fukunaga and found the other man standing off to the side, out of everyone's way but paying close attention.  Tetsurou walked up to him.

 

“Get everyone to Kai’s sisters house, find Oguri’s brother.”  Fukunaga nodded and hesitated a moment. “If you’re worried about me I won’t leave Bokuto’s side.”  Fukunaga nodded once again before heading off quickly down the hall. It was unlikely that they would target Tetsurou again but it was better to be safe than sorry.

 

Tetsurou moved out of the way before the medics walked down the hall with Semi on a stretcher between the two.  Tendou didn’t even look at him as he followed after them.

 

“Sawamura saved his life.”  Koutarou stated and Tetsurou couldn’t help but agree.  Daichi had taken whatever reserve of strength and power he had and used it to send Semi flying down the hall, out of harm's way.  If he had been a fraction of a second slower than Semi would be as dead as the two other guards. “It’s professional, which means money.”

 

“They would have frozen Oguri’s accounts by now.”  But he could have hidden money away somewhere.

 

Tetsurou felt a new countdown start but this one was much shorter.  Oguri’s brother would know his time was limited, that the full force of the Agency would be coming after him now.  He wanted Daichi to suffer and he wouldn’t waste time getting started with it.

 

Tetsurou shoved those thoughts away because they weren’t helpful, not now.  The kidnappers, both for Tsukishima and Hinata and now Daichi spoke of professionals.  Most likely former military or mercenaries, a small army would be waiting to stop or slow them down when they discovered where Oguri was holed up with Daichi.

 

Tetsurou’s own team was mentally and physically exhausted.  Karasuno was still disbanded with the majority being held back at Section Five so they were also out. Tetsurou turned towards Koutarou, who stood up straighter when he saw he had Tetsurou’s attention.  Koutarou looked over Tetsurou’s face and years of friendship allowed them to communicate without a single word.

 

“Akaashi, wake everyone up and make sure everyone is ready to go.”  Koutarou ordered his second, who hesitated for a brief moment before nodding and walking away to do what Koutarou had commanded.  “Come on, Ogano and Gora should still be around.”

 

“They would help?”  Tetsurou asked even as he followed after Koutarou, who shot him a disappointed look at his question.

 

“Why wouldn’t they?”  Koutarou asked back. “They don’t know much about Sawamura or even Karasuno but they’ve known you for years.  They were sitting behind you during the entire trial.” Tetsurou absorbed that as they walked side by side in silence.

 

It wasn’t as if Tetsurou didn’t know Shinzen and Ubugawa were allies to Nekoma.  Their teams, along with Fukurodani practiced together quite often. More often before Tetsurou had died but they still cooperated with each other.  Tetsurou hadn’t realized that he personally had made allies in the other team leaders.

 

“You stood up in Gora’s wedding three months ago!”  Koutarou said in obvious exasperation.

 

“I thought that was mainly because he needed more men.”  Gora’s wife five sisters plus Gora’s own two sisters had all been made bridesmaids.  That’s not even counting her friends, it had been a large wedding party. Tetsurou had thought Gora needed more groomsmen to even out everything.  

 

Plus he had been more than a little distracted by Daichi in a suit.  Daichi wore suits normally for work but they were generic, cheap things.  He never saw the point of spending money on a suit for work that would most likely get ruined.  The suit he wore to the wedding had been fitted perfectly to him, the dark charcoal bringing out the richness of his skin and his soft eyes.  They had ended up messing up the suit later on that night, to which Tetsurou apologized profusely.

 

_“Your apology might be more believable if you weren’t smirking through it.”  Daichi pushed Tetsurou’s face away before going back to cooking them breakfast, even though it was after one in the evening.  Tetsurou knew he wasn’t truly angry because if Daichi was, he would made Tetsurou eat instant oatmeal._

 

_“It’s partially you’re fault, the suit was too much and you know it.”  Tetsurou had to leave for the wedding earlier than Daichi, who had still been wearing his lounge clothes when Tetsurou had left.  He had seen Daichi for the first time as he stood up in a line with all the other groomsmen. It had been a good thing Tetsurou hadn’t seen him while he was walking or he might have tripped._

 

_“I wear suits everyday.”  Daichi said as he added chopped peppers and cheese to the omelettes he was cooking up.  Tetsurou slid his arms around Daichi’s waist from behind, nuzzled the soft and warm skin of his neck._

 

_“I believe I explained last night in extraneous detail why exactly that suit was different.”  Tetsurou whispered in Daichi’s ear, grinning at the spreading blush over his boyfriends dark skin.  Daichi was always so composed in public but in private he loosened up, allowed himself to stop feeling responsible for the world and relaxed with Tetsurou._

 

_“Good morning.”  A deep voice greeted and Tetsurou turned to see a tired looking Ushijima Wakatoshi come into the kitchen.  He was sporting some major bedhead and the imprint of his pillow on his right face._

 

_“Sleep good big guy?”  Tetsurou asked as he leaned against the counter next to Daichi._

 

_“No.”  Ushijima stated with his usual bluntness.  “You two were very loud.” Daichi dropped his spatula as he hid his burning face behind his hands were a pained groan._

 

_“Sorry about that.”  Tetsurou said, feeling his own face heat up because honestly, he wasn’t voyeuristic in anyway.  He had honestly forgotten that Daichi had a roommate who also had a boyfriend, apparently Daichi had forgotten too._

 

_“Really Dai, you shouldn’t make Tetsurou beg that much for it.”  Yuuji joined in as he followed his boyfriend into the kitchen._

 

_“Terushima.”  Ushijima scolded him lightly but Yuuji just laughed even as Daichi tried to escape the room._

 

_“Let me go Tetsu, I have to leave the country right now.”  Daichi struggled against Tetsurou as he slowly pulled Daichi to him and let his embarrassed boyfriend hid his red face in his chest.  If Daichi really had wanted to leave he could have. “I hear the moon is quite nice this time of year.” Tetsurou laughed even as Yuuji sniped the two finished omelettes and handed the second to Ushijima._

  
  
  


Both Ubugawa and Shinzen were in.  Even with the a good portion of the Agency tracking down Oguri’s brother it was Kenma who found the house he had in his deceased wife's name.  It was an old family home, isolated and on several acres of its own land. They had made a plan to sneak up from the west side, where the house butted up against the surrounding wooded area.

 

Tetsurou was exhausted.  A bone deep tired feeling that made him feel as if he was wading through a swamp.  Just underneath that was something he had never quite felt before and was difficult to put a name to even though it was simple once he realized what it was.  Anger. Pure, unfiltered anger that made the tips of his fingers feel numb and his muscles bunch beneath the skin. He had thought he knew anger before but that was nothing compared to this.

 

Tetsurou never had a problem controlling himself before.  Even when he was a kid or a teenager with too many emotions and not enough ways to express himself it had never been too bad.  He had a couple slip ups but that was to be expected.

 

Tetsurou wanted Oguri dead but more than that he wanted Oguri hurting.  He wanted to take everything away from the man and make sure he knew who had done it.  He wanted him to rot in prison where his money and power and position meant nothing except that he was an easy target.  He wanted to make it so that no one would ever even think about hurting Daichi again.

 

They were moving too slow though Tetsurou didn’t even really remember the trek through the woods and entering the basement of the large mansion.  He pulled his mind away from anger and revenge and concentrated on the now. The reason it was taking so long is because they were purposefully taking their time, disarming alarms and traps alike, going around guards instead of through them so no one was alerted.  They didn’t want Oguri getting scared and killing Daichi.

 

Tetsurou leaned heavily against the wall as he thought of that possibility.  He would tear the entire house down on top of Oguri if it happened.

 

“ **_Little brother._ ** ”  Tetsurou turned his head but everyone else was still whispering about the best route and if they needed to take out guards from here on out.  “ **_Little brother come here_ **.”  Tetsurou turned away from the group.  It was a small infiltration group, the rest waiting close by.  If magic started to be exchanged they would rush in but for now they waited.

 

Tetsurou stood in front of a large iron door with sigils painted around the entirety of it.  He could feel something within it and knew the voice he was hearing came from it.

 

“ **_I can help if you let me_ ** .”  Normally Tetsurou wouldn’t have even listened to something only he could hear but normally his boyfriend wasn’t being tortured off somewhere while he waited for decisions to be made.  “ **_I can clear a path_ **.”

 

“Why would I trust you?”  Tetsurou asked softly but others had heard him, turned to look at him in confusion.

 

“ **_I have no death wish little brother_ **.”  Something pressed against the door.  Not a demand for it to be opened or a threat to break it, but just a recognition.  Tetsurou had met evil things, dark creatures that seemed to be spawned from the depths of hell itself.  Whatever was behind the door didn’t feel that way. It almost felt the same way the Spirit of the Sawamura Land felt.

 

Not good or evil, simply apart of this world.

 

“ **_You free me and I will only take care of the mercenaries_ **.”  Tetsurou wasn’t sure why he was inclined to believe the creature.  He was sure if it had been a couple years back, before he had even met Daichi, he wouldn’t have opened the door.

 

Tetsurou reached up with his hand and magic to tear away the sigils.  They burned his hand, left large welts behind but he ignored that to toss open the latch and step back.

 

“Kuro?”  Kenma asked warily as something big and black rushed out of the basement.

 

“What the hell was that?”  Yaku whispered furiously.

 

“A Yokai.”  Tetsurou answered simply before following the creature out.  He had been wary of Yokai before knowing Daichi, but many lived peacefully on the Sawamura Land.  When Tetsurou asked about them Daichi would always shrug and smile.

 

_“They lived here before I was even born, what right do I have to kick them out?”_  Sometimes they would eat all the food in the kitchen or watch endless hours of trashy television with the volume turned all the way up but they never did anything too terrible.

 

As the creature promised it cleared a path.  Tetsurou didn’t know what it did with the bodies but at that point he really didn’t care.  It was welcome to eat every last mercenary if it wanted to.

 

“Holy shit.”  Yamamoto came to a skidding stop, causing everyone to look up at the ceiling.  The Yokai seemed to have a striking resemblance to a flying fox. Its wings were full of painful looking tears and its clawed feet seemed to have no problem digging into the plaster above it to keep it hanging upside down.  There was something in its clawed hand and for a moment Tetsurou thought it was an organ, maybe a heart or liver until it brought it up to it’s muzzle and took a bite out of it. It was a mango, maybe a grapefruit.

 

“ **_I left the last one for you_ **.”  It curled its wings around its furry body, the sound of chomping and slurping emitting from inside as it finished off its stolen fruit.

 

Tetsurou ran down the hall and guessed that Daichi was behind the only closed door.  He had no idea how the Yokai had moved so swiftly and he was glad that it hadn’t decided that Tetsurou and the others were enemies too.  But there was no time to question anything else as Yaku pushed his way to the front before putting up three fingers, slowly putting them down to start a countdown.

 

Yaku tossed up a barrier the second the door was opened and Tetsurou could feel Koutarou pull magic to himself.  Tetsurou gripped his two trusty blades in his hands as he entered the room after Yaku and Koutarou, the rest of the small team following behind him.

 

The first thing Tetsurou saw was Daichi stripped down to his underwear and hanging from the ceiling by his wrists.  His ankles were also connected to the floor, probably to prevent him from kicking. There wasn’t an inch on him that wasn’t bruised, cut, or bloodied.  The second thing Tetsurou saw was the knife pressed against Daichi’s throat hard enough to bleed, the coward behind him using Daichi as a human shield.

 

“Get out or he dies!”  Oguri’s brother shouted.  He looked sickly, pale with a yellow tinge to his skin.  His eyes were bloodshot, he looked as if he had lost half his body weight in the month since Tetsurou had last seen him in the elevator.  Tetsurou had never seen the effects of using death magic had on a person but it looked as if he was quickly dying, his health on a steady decline.

 

“Let him go, it’s over.”  Koutarou ordered, his magic coursing around him and sparking at his fingertips, ready to be unleashed at a moments notice.

 

“No!”  Oguri shouted, knife digging deeper into Daichi’s throat.  Daichi seemed barely conscious, one eye swollen shut and the other had an unhealthy green puss oozing from it.  His left shoulder appeared dislocated and his left knee didn’t look good either. “He doesn’t get to take everything away from me and continue living the good life!”  Tetsurou knew Oguri was a goner. There was nothing sane left in him, nothing any of them said would snap him out of the reality he lived in where Daichi was the one who caused all his misfortune instead of himself.

 

Oguri could have gotten real, professional help for his son.  He could have protected the one child he had left, his innocent 9 year old daughter.  His family name probably would have taken a hit but they would have survived, they would continue to make an obscene amount of money by doing nothing.  He could have convinced his wife to seek help, made sure she had someone to talk to about her darker thoughts. Made it so she had other options than to kill herself.  He had everything in life handed to him and he tossed it away all to get revenge on a man who was only doing his job.

 

“If you kill him then it’s all over for him, he never has to suffer.”  Tetsurou found himself saying as he edged around Koutarou and Yaku, putting himself front and center.  “The council has already agreed to strip him of his powers, he’s admitted to doing black magic. He has already been fired from the Agency, his home has been seized, and now all he has left is his magic.  If you kill him now he won’t have to suffer as you did for all these years.”

 

“He has to pay for what he’s done.”  Oguri said, voice high pitched and frenzied.

 

“He’ll have his magic taken away from him if you hand him over, he’ll be put in prison for the rest of his life.”  Tetsurou said, catching Oguri’s eye. He took a step closer, he could feel the heat coming off of Daichi’s body as if he had a very high fever.

 

“He’s a menace to society.”  Oguri agreed, sweaty fingers adjusting on the handle of the dagger.

 

“He’ll be put into a prison with people he’s put away himself.”  Tetsurou stated as he used Daichi’s own body to hide his movements, reaching out and grabbing hold of Oguri’s wrist.

 

Oguri was weak.  Even at full health Tetsurou probably would have no issue facing him head on but it was almost laughably easy to twist Oguri’s thin wrist until he dropped the knife then shove him away from Daichi.

 

Tetsurou came around Daichi quickly, stumbling back a step as Oguri tossed a spell at him.  Something dark slid off of Tetsurou as color bled out of his vision. He saw all of Oguri’s weak points, his heart was failing him and he was moving sluggishly because he had been using his own putrid blood to fuel his spells.  Death magic came at a price and Oguri had paid with his soul. It was a sickly looking thing, barely holding onto its own body by mere threads.

 

Tetsurou tackled Oguri to the floor as the older man screamed, eyes widening until he could see the whites all around.  Tetsurou felt something different about himself but he paid it no attention as he pulled back his fist and began hitting Oguri, the other man too weak to even defend himself.  He tried to throw another black spell at Tetsurou but it fell off of him as the others did.

 

Something was happening behind Tetsurou but he did not care about that at all.  He wanted Oguri to suffer, he wanted every bone broken in his body and to cut off limbs slow and painfully.

 

“Tetsurou listen to me, you need to stop please.”  Too warm hands slid across his face, made him turn his head to look to his left.  He did not want to, looking at Daichi hurt and it only made him angrier. “I need you to stop.”  That made Tetsurou immediately stop. It wasn’t a command but a request, a plead.

 

Tetsurou allowed himself to be pulled away from Oguri, catching Daichi as he stumbled back.  He took a couple deep breaths but all he could smell was decay and rot, all he felt was the press of death and blood.  Daichi’s wounds were open and festering because there was nothing good left in that room.

 

“Bokuto?”  Tetsurou’s voice was a lower register than he remembered and a sharp shake of his head brought everything back into full color.  “Bo? Help me get him upstairs, there’s too much bad magic here.” Koutarou was by his side in an instant, helping Tetsurou lift Daichi as carefully as they could before taking him out of that room.

 

“All the dark magic seems to be contained to the west wing.”  Koutarou stated so they took Daichi to the area furthest away from the west wing.  Into a living room that looked as if it hadn’t been used since it had been decorated.  They tracked blood all over the pristine white carpet before settling Daichi carefully on the cream colored couch.

 

“Daichi?”  Tetsurou asked worriedly because it looked as if Daichi had stopped breathing.

 

“Still here.”  Daichi gasped out.

 

“I’ll get the medic.”  Koutarou didn’t waste anymore time before he ran out of the room.

 

Tetsurou knelt down next to the couch, brushing Daichi’s blood caked hair off of his forehead.  There was a deep gash there and his nose looked broken too. His breath rattled when he breathed in, there was probably fluids in his lungs.

 

“You stopped me from killing him.”  Tetsurou stated, which didn’t seem like an important thing right at that moment but all other words were caught in his throat.  Words like _please hang on_ , _I miss you_ , and _I love you_.

 

“Wasn’t worth it.”  Daichi said. “Suga won’t talk to me for a year after this.”  Daichi tried to joke but Tetsurou could see the real fear on his face.  He was too tired and hurt to hide it, the wall between their minds was still strong but Tetsurou could feel the flood of overwhelming emotions churning inside of Daichi.

 

Medics and other teams alike flooded into the house.  Tetsurou stood off to the side as the medics came over to Daichi.  Their movements were stiff and jerky, hurting Daichi more often than not though the other man remained silent through the rough treatment.  Tetsurou observed it with a displeased frown until one of them twisted Daichi’s dislocated shoulder, causing a pained grunt to leave Daichi before he cut it off.

 

“What is wrong with you?  Is this your first day on the job?”  Tetsurou snapped out, setting himself between the medics and Daichi, who was sweating and panting in pain behind him.

 

“Are we supposed to give murderers and traitors the royal treatment?”  One of the medics asked, lip curling up into a snarl.

 

“Get away from him.”  A voice commanded and Tetsurou thought the medics were lucky because he was already on edge and wasn’t above punching someone.  Sugawara strode through everyone, giving the medics a sharp look. “You should be ashamed of yourselves, you are supposed to be medical professionals.  You took oaths to do no harm, not do no harm unless your personal biases tell you otherwise. Get out of my sight.”

 

“Suga-” Daichi started but the other man had already dismissed the medics and was turned to Daichi, carefully examining him.

 

“Not another word out of you either.”  Sugawara’s tone held no room for argument.  Daichi must have been truly tired because for once he listened and let Sugawara work in silence.

 

More of Karasuno trickled in after that and Tetsurou took a position outside the door, leaning against the wall and driving away any curious onlooker who wanted to get a glance at the man who had admitted to treason.  Tetsurou could feel his anger rising everytime someone slowed as they walked past the room until receiving a sharp look from Tetsurou that sent them dashing off down the hall.

 

The furrow between Sugawara’s brows and the downward turn of his usually smiling mouth made Tetsurou worried as he glanced back into the room.  Daichi had stopped trying to convince them all that he was fine when he clearly found it difficult to breath and moving was beyond him at that point.

 

“I’ve never seen you do that before.”  Kenma said in lieu of a greeting as he leaned against the wall next to Tetsurou.

 

“Do what?”  Tetsurou had done a couple things in the past twenty four hours that he had never done before so it really didn’t narrow it down at all.

 

“You went full demon.”  Kenma stated plainly. Tetsurou rubbed at his tired eyes.

 

“My back was to everyone so they couldn’t have seen my eyes.”  Tetsurou said with a shrug. Mostly everyone who had been in that room had known what he was anyways.  It was probably a nasty shock for Akaashi but his own mother was a Siren so Tetsurou doubted it was the most surprising thing he’s never seen.

 

“You really don’t know.”  Kenma deadpanned, which revealed how much it was troubling him.  Tetsurou looked down at his shorter friend, giving him his full attention.  “Kuro, you had horns and I’m pretty sure a tail was trying to come out of your pants.  Your hands sharpened to claws and you had fangs.”

 

“Ah.”  Tetsurou blinked a couple times as he processed that.  “I didn’t know I could do that.” Tetsurou said truthfully.  He had never lost his temper as he had before, never had a reason to.

 

“That’s dangerous.”  Kenma stated softly, leaning against Tetsurou’s side more to comfort himself than Tetsurou.  For his part Tetsurou stayed still and let Kenma work through his emotions on the current subject.

 

“Yoohoo, Tetsu!”  Oikawa cried from down the hall, hand waving as he walked towards them.  Kenma made a disgruntled noise before slipping into the room behind Tetsurou and making his way over to Hinata, who was loaning Sugawara some of his own power by pressing his hands against the older mans shoulders.

 

“What?”  Tetsurou asked, in no mood for Oikawa’s antics especially after the dismissal after the farce of a trial that happened.

 

“You’re not still angry about what happened, are you?”  Oikawa asked, a fake pout on his face even as his eyes remained sharp as ever.

 

“Am I still angry that you abandoned people you called friends at the first opportunity you could?”  Tetsurou asked back, not bothering to pull any punches. “Angry? Yes. Surprised? Not at all.”

 

“Iwaizumi and Makki were both pulled in for questioning because Sawamura lived with them, their reputations-”

 

“I don’t give a single fuck about their or your reputation Oikawa, I have done nothing but help you out since you pushed your way into my life and the second I need you, you’re gone.”  Tetsurou snapped at Oikawa, cutting him off. “I understand you were just trying to protect yourself and your team, that’s fine but don’t try and act like we’re friends after you bail out at the first sign of trouble.”

 

“Fair enough.”  Oikawa agreed lightly but Tetsurou was well versed in Oikawa Tooru, he knew the other man was hurt.  Oikawa glanced into the room, and Tetsurou knew without looking that his eyes were stuck on Sugawara.  He opened his mouth but was interrupted by one of his juniors, the tall one that was usually with the bored looking one.

 

“Sorry to interrupt.”  He apologized, bowing slightly to Tetsurou before turning his attention to Oikawa.  “We cleared the upstairs like you asked but there’s a bedroom up there.”

 

“This mansion has 28 bedrooms.”  Tetsurou stated blandly because he had studied the floor plan with the others before coming in.

 

“This one is decorated like a little girls room.”  The younger man said, shoulders going higher as he got more nervous.  “It has princess things all over it and it looks like it was in use.”

 

“That’s not possible.”  Oikawa said because he knew Oguri’s history.  His own son had mutilated his sister, cut her apart and put her back together with animal parts.  After Daichi had killed the boy the magic holding the little girl together would have fallen apart.  She could have lasted a couple days at most.

 

“It smells in there.”  The man whispered, as if someone or something might overhear him.

 

“What did you say?”  They all turned to see Daichi standing in the doorway.  Actually he was more leaning heavily on the door frame while his team hovered around him nervously.  Sugawara looked like he wanted to physically drag Daichi back to the now stained couch but he couldn’t figure out how to do so without hurting Daichi further.

 

“The daughter, she was still alive when you left?”  Oikawa asked Daichi. Tetsurou stiffened but didn’t interfere.  He remembered Daichi telling him what happened, how the little girl had witnessed her brothers death and how she had cried over his body and asked why Daichi had done such a thing.  Even after the boy had hurt the girl, basically killed her she still loved him.

 

“She was but barely.”  Daichi stared off into the distance, as if seeing his painful past instead of a well lit hallway.  “Show me the room.”

 

“Daichi no!”  Sugawara said but Daichi shrugged off his order.

 

“Now Kindaichi, Ennoshita with me.”  Kindaichi stood up straighter and marched down the hall.  Ennoshita gave Sugawara an apologetic look before following Daichi.  Sugawara looked at Oikawa and Tetsurou as if they could prevent this.

 

Tetsurou shrugged helplessly.  He would much rather Daichi lay back down on the couch than drag his poor abused body up two sets of stairs to confront his past.  Someone managed to find him a pair of sweats and a cotton shirt to wear and Sugawara and wrapped up all his wounds and put his shoulder back to where it belonged but he still looked rough.  Watching his limp worsen with every step made Tetsurou’s heart hurt.

 

“How would she still be alive?”  Oikawa asked.

 

“Her father performed a lot of black magic.”  Daichi answered simply. They were currently digging up bodies in the backyard and there had been a huge firepit with human remains in it too.

 

“Wouldn’t that be a living hell for her?”  Sugawara wondered. “Who would do that to their own child?”  No one had a good answer to that as they finally made their way to the bedroom.

 

Oikawa put himself between Kindaichi and the bedroom, frowning deeply at it.  Tetsurou felt it too, something wrong lived in that room. Though living might be the wrong word to use.  It pricked all his senses, as if someone inexperienced was using a violin for a first time. The high pitched screeching made every muscle in a person's body clench up involuntarily.

 

“Ennoshita.”  Daichi spoke up and the younger man stepped closer even though it was clear by his body language he didn’t want to be any closer to that bedroom than the rest of them.  “You feel something?”

 

“Yes but it’s like what I get from magical creatures.”  Ennoshita frowned as he tried to explain. He was an empath, able to feel others emotions around him.  He had once explained to Tetsurou that it worked differently depending on how far removed they were from human.  Trying to apply human emotions to things that weren’t human just didn’t work. “But it’s-” Ennoshita pulled a face when he couldn’t find the right words.

 

“Wrong?”  Daichi supplied, to which Ennoshita nodded.  Daichi sighed and faced the door. “Could you calm her down?”

 

“I can try.”  Ennoshita stiffened slightly as he stepped closer to the door, pressed his hand against the solid wood and bowed his head.  Tetsurou stepped towards Daichi despite his instincts telling him to go in the opposite direction. He carefully touched Daichi’s fingers, giving comfort where he could.

 

Daichi gently grasped Tetsurou’s fingers before releasing him and pressing his fingers against a small tattoo on his forearm.  Sugawara made a disgruntled noise as magic wrapped around Daichi, a perfect illusion of him perfectly healthy and whole settling into place.

 

“Asahi could you bring the van to the door?”  Daichi asked to which Asahi gave a quick nod before walking away, Noya following close behind.

 

“I think they are in the closet.”  Ennoshita said as he stepped back to allow Daichi access to the room.

 

“It’s going to be bad, if you don’t think you can handle it leave now.”  Daichi ordered before opening the door and carefully stepping inside.

 

Kindaichi had been right, it did smell.  The distinct smell of bleach barely covered up the scent or something rotting.  Tetsurou’s stomach rolled painfully but he forced his feet to remain still as he looked into the pink and white room.  The bed was unmade, there was a small desk with papers and markers spread over it. Several drawings were taped up on the wall.

 

Daichi stopped in the middle of the room before slowly kneeling down.  Tetsurou could tell it pained him to do so but he did it anyways, leaning to the side to pick up a discarded bunny that only had one floppy ear and no eyes.

 

“Nanako?”  Daichi asked, voice purposefully kept soft as he faced the closet.  It had white doors that slid shut and they were opened just a sliver.  “It’s Nanako right? Your mother told me you like to be called Ako, is it alright if I call you that?”  There was no response but Daichi didn’t look discouraged as he reached out and placed the bunny right by the entrance of the closet.  “Her name is Usagi, wasn’t it?” A clawed hand reached out for the bunny, yanking it into the closet before Tetsurou could get a good look.

 

“Where’s papa?”  A voice that sounded like nails on chalkboard asked.  Young and slightly feminine but there was a growl to it.

 

“Would you like to see him?”  Daichi asked after a moment. The door slid open a little wider but it was black beyond it.

 

“I’m not supposed to leave.”  Nanako said softly. Sugawara’s hand was tightly gripping Tetsurou’s arm, his eyes wide as he stared into the room.

 

“It’s okay, just this once.”  Daichi assured her. “I know it’s scary, you’ve probably heard a lot of people walking around but it’s-” Daichi had to swallow a couple times before the words would come out.  “It’s going to be okay Nanako.”

 

“Ako.”  Nanako said as she stepped out from the shadows.  Tetsurou wanted to step back, to rush in and pull Daichi away from the deformed creature in front of him.  Every instinct inside of him was screaming at the sheer wrongness. “You can call me Ako.” Tetsurou was sure to have nightmares about the little girl turned monster, mutilated and kept together by rotting animal pieces.

 

“Okay Ako.”  Daichi smiled, his face showing none of the horror Tetsurou and the others were feeling as he held out his hand.  “Do you like cats? I can show you many of them, one of them even has a mark on her forehead like the cat from Sailor Moon.  What was her name?”

 

“Luna.”  Nanako answered, looking down at Daichi’s waiting hand before she took a small, looping step towards him.  Her legs were uneven and it hurt to look at her, Tetsurou couldn’t imagine what kind of pain she was in. “Papa says no one can see me or they’ll hurt me.”

 

“Oh.”  Daichi glanced around before pulling the blanket off the bed and carefully wrapping it around Nanako.  “How about that?”

 

“I want to see the kitties.”  Nanako whispered as she huddled close to Daichi, the blanket covering up the horror underneath but it didn’t matter.  They had all seen it. “Will mama be there? Papa keeps saying she’ll be back but she hasn’t come back since she fell down the stairs.”  Daichi gathered Nanako in his arms, careful as he stood up on unsteady legs.

 

“She loves you very much, she told me all about how well you do in school.”  Daichi made sure the blanket covered Nanako’s head as he carried her out of the room.  Ennoshita was pale but he followed closely behind as Daichi and Nanako continued to talk, mostly about school and Nanako’s various classmates.

 

Tetsurou didn’t know how Daichi did it but they managed to get her out of the house and into the van Asahi had pulled up.  Sugawara got into the back seat with Daichi and Ennoshita while Tetsurou slid into the passenger seat. In the third row of seats sat Noya, Kenma, and Koutarou.  Tetsurou hadn’t even noticed Koutarou rejoining them.

 

“Are you alright Ako?”  Daichi asked, his hand gently rubbing up and down her back as she shivered beneath the blanket.

 

“Hurts.”  Nanako admitted.  “Papa says I have to be brave.”  Daichi looked over her head to Sugawara, who flexed his fingers a couple times before slowly reaching a hand out to touch Nanako’s back.  Slowly the blanket stopped shaking as she slumped against Daichi.

 

“Is there anything you can do?”  Daichi asked though there was no hope in his tone or eyes.

 

“I don’t even-” Sugawara swallowed, eyes full of unshed tears as he looked down at the bundle in Daichi’s arms.  “Nothing is where is should be and I don’t know how to heal animals Daichi. I don’t even know if I would if I could, she’s in so much pain.”  The tears slid down Sugawara’s face though his hand remained steady on her back, giving her peace by letting her sleep.

 

“Where are we going?”  Koutarou asked half an hour of quiet driving.  Tetsurou thought he knew. It was the only place Daichi would think to bring a creature like Nanako, where something stronger than all of them existed.

 

“To get help.”  Daichi answered simply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was kind of all over the place, I thought of breaking it up but then... I guess I just didn't? I don't know, I feel like I've been writing this story for at least 10 years!
> 
> So close to the end of it!


	16. Kuroo Tetsurou and his New Home

Tetsurou read over his report one last time, tweaking and changing some of the wording but otherwise leaving it as it had been.  Some small nostalgic part of him thought about printing it off and having it framed but that would probably be against the rules.  As much as breaking a couple more rules would entertain him, he was trying to end on a good note.  He sent the report off, the last report he was ever going to write for the Agency. Hopefully. He would not miss the utterly ridiculous amount of reports he had to write and rewrite over the years.

 

Tetsurou pulled off his glasses and set them on top of the manilla folder.  He had nothing left to do but take it upstairs and hand in his resignation. He had no second thoughts about doing so but still he hesitated, his mind replaying certain memories he had thought long buried or forgotten.

 

_ Tetsurou clicked his pen rapidly as he looked between the example memo that was provided and the one he had typed up.  He felt like he was partially losing his mind as the words swam in front of him. He had never failed a class before, never even come close to it and yet a basic communications class was giving him a difficult time.  Why did he even need to know the proper way to compose a memo or report? Why had the professor sent his paper back with a simple ‘Needs Work’ written at the top. Needs work how? Could he have been less helpful? _

 

_ “Kuroo.”  Koutarou snatched the pen away from Tetsurou, who let out a wounded noise before slumping over the table.  “You’re losing it.” _

 

_ “I am!”  Tetsurou agreed, head popping up as he picked up handfuls of paper, all memos he had printed off as if that would help his understanding of an inner company memo.  He shook the papers at Koutarou, who was eyeing him warily. “I am completely losing it my man!” _

 

_ “Dude.”  Koutarou looked as if he didn’t know if it was appropriate to laugh. _

 

_ “I’m going to flunk out of college even before my first semester, I’ll be a laughing stock, I’ll have to live on the street and make clothes out of my failed attempts at writing a memo.”  Tetsurou tossed the papers up in the air, letting them rain down on them as he slid off of his chair and onto the floor beneath the table. _

 

_ “When’s the last time you slept?”  Koutarou asked, leaning down to peer at Tetsurou underneath the table.  “Or showered? Sorry man but you stink.” _

 

_ “Leave me here to rot.”  Tetsurou placed his hands over his chest. _

 

_ “You’re like a little crazy, aren’t you?”  Koutarou grinned as he laid down next to Tetsurou.  “You don’t even need that good of grades to join the Agency.” _

 

_ “That’s comforting.”  Tetsurou said sarcastically before the words fully processed in his sluggish brain.  He turned his face to Koutarou, noted the ridiculous amount of hair gel he used to get his horned look.  “Actually that is comforting.” Tetsurou admitted. _

 

_ “Come on, let’s get you a shower, food, and some sleep.  In that order.” Koutarou rolled out from underneath the table, ignoring the odd looks they both got. _

 

_ “I stink that bad?”  Tetsurou asked, afraid to lean down to smell himself as he followed Koutarou’s lead. _

 

_ “You’ve been wearing the same clothes for three days straight.”  Koutarou reminded him. “You know, you probably won’t even have to ever write a memo or report when we join the Agency.  That’s for higher ups.” _

 

_ “You’re right,”  Tetsurou agreed with sudden cheer.  “I have no ambition to be a team leader of all things.”  They both laughed as they shoved papers and books into their bags, not taking the time to sort out what belongs to who. _

 

_ “Can you even imagine that?”  Koutarou laughed, big and booming.  “I’d feel awful for your team, you’d make them write every single memo.” _

 

_ “I mean you’re right but you don’t have to say it.”  Tetsurou agree as he followed Koutarou out of the library, ignoring the sigh of relief from everyone else as they left. _

  
  
  
  


Tetsurou’s fingers tapped against the folder as he gave one last cursory glance around his office.  He would still have two weeks to gather his things and tie up loose ends after handing in his papers but it felt like the first step in really leaving the Agency.  He had never planned to spend the rest of his life there and after he died he should have called it quits when he was brought back.

 

Tetsurou’s eyes lingered on the picture of Daichi, relaxed and smiling as he looked at something out of the pictures scoop.  Asahi’s shoulder was in the frame and Tetsurou knew Sugawara was next to the gentle giant. Daichi only fully relaxed around a select few people.

 

Even after rescuing Daichi from Oguri, Daichi’s pain hadn’t ended there.  They had taken Nanako to the Sawamura Land. The cat Yokai was the only one not put off by her, curling close and letting her pet him as if he was just an ordinary cat.  The spirits of the land danced around her, making her laugh through her pain.

 

The Spirit had shown up soon after.  First as a large stag with wide reaching antlers covered in moss and flowers.  Nanako had been in awe as the Spirit leaned down to nuzzle her cheek. All of Karasuno and Nekoma had stood in awe, some of Fukurodani had followed too.  The Spirit let its shape flow, changing seamlessly into a more human shape. Tall and willowy with long hair in dreads she had crouched down by Nanako.

 

Daichi’s illusion had disappeared sometime during the car ride to his land.  There was a big, dark spot on his side where blood had seeped through. He was holding back everything he was feeling as he told Nanako that the Spirit wanted her to close her eyes and count to five.  She did as instructed, instinctive trust that children have towards authority figures allowing her to do it without question. She counted to five and the Spirit reached into her and pulled her apart.

 

It hadn’t looked painful, Nanako didn’t even have time to react before the blanket and torn clothes she had been wearing fell to the ground.  The Spirit had disappeared after that, leaving the clearing dark and cold without it’s big, warm presence.

 

Daichi had broke after that.  Tetsurou had pushed and prodded everyone to leave him be, except for Sugawara and Asahi.  Tetsurou had wanted to be the one to comfort Daichi but he knew the other man would feel shame when he realized how many people had been around him.

 

Tetsurou slid the folder off his desk and stood up.  More Agents had shown up after that, Sugawara had insisted Daichi be taken to the hospital.  It had been over a week since Tetsurou had last seen Daichi. He had been trying to give the other man time but he was tired of waiting.

 

Naoi is in Nekomata’s office as if they both knew what Tetsurou wanted to speak to them about.  By their smug faces, only ruined slightly by how soft they both look when Tetsurou walks in, he guesses they know what Tetsurou is planning to do.  He starts with a deep bow and to profusely thank both of them for the parts they played in his life.

  
  
  
  


_ Section One’s building is impressive to say the least.  Tetsurou could understand why Koutarou was so stuck on joining one of the teams that belonged to Section One.  They had been touring each building with a small group of those who had gone in the same direction as they had.  To university and then joined the Agency instead of going to the Academy first. _

 

_ Everything is sleek and modern in the building, a stark contrast to the pitiful state of Section Fives building which was in an older and more worn down part of the city, cast off to the edges.  The difference between the people in each building was huge too. Tetsurou had attempted to flirt with an light haired angel with the most adorable mole beneath his eye when he had been pulled away by a man with admittedly nice shoulders in an ill fitting suit who didn’t even glance at Tetsurou as he walked away from the lobby with Tetsurou’s angel. _

 

_ They had all been rough around the edges at Section Five, slightly frazzled and all over the place  Tetsurou had enjoyed the atmosphere, Section One was almost too put together. The receptionists all shiny and not a single person looked to be wearing poorly fitted suits. _

 

_ Tetsurou turned as a group walked in and let out a loud guffawing laugh.  He couldn’t have stopped himself even if he had wanted to. He had never seen someone so short look so furious and he was covered in a slime that was nearly fluorescent it was such a bright shade of pink.  Angry eyes turned to Tetsurou and he laughed again. The kid looked like a mad puppy. _

 

_ “Do you want to go asshole?”  The kid shouted, voice surprisingly low for how young he looked. _

 

_ “Can I help you find your parents?”  Tetsurou asked, supremely amused. _

 

_ “P-parents?!”  The kid stuttered before striding over to Tetsurou.  Before he could get much farther a taller man with close cropped hair stopped him, a serene look on his face.  “Let me go Kai, I’m going to murder this greenie!” _

 

_ “Now now Yaku, remember what Nekomata said about your temper.”  The one named Kai stated in a soft voice as he steered the shorter one, Yaku, away. _

 

_ “I don’t give a shit about my temper, I’m 24 and I’m about to break his arms, see if he’s smirking then.”  But they both walked off without further confrontation. Tetsurou was surprised by his age, he was even older than Tetsurou though he looked like he couldn’t be older than 16. _

 

_ “Hello.”  Tetsurou turned and tried to wipe the smirk off his face as he looked at the older gentleman, dressed nicely and wearing the badge of a team leader.  Tetsurou hadn’t meant to cause trouble and he was usually a little quieter about doing so but it had been a stressful couple of days and he couldn’t help but provoke people when his anxiety ran high. _

 

_ “Goodday.”  Tetsurou bowed politely.  The man was older than Tetsurou, probably no more than a decade or so.  If his wide shoulders and muscular arms were anything to go by he was quite fit, most likely the leader of a field team. _

 

_ “You should be more careful who you mock, that man just lost a teammate today.”  The older man stated gravelly and Tetsurou felt himself stiffen up, guilt clawing at his conscious as he looked back in the direction the two other Agency members had walked off to. _

 

_ “Manabu!”  A female gasped before karate chopping him in the side.  He let out a huff of air, moving away from her as he rubbed his side but he shot a grin over at Tetsurou.  “You are all such troublemakers, why did I even agree to join Nekoma?” She was taller than Tetsurou, which he wasn’t too used to with dark eyes that seemed to assess everything around her.  Despite her hit there was clear fondness shared between the two of them. _

 

_ “It was a teaching moment Aya.”  The man named Manabu stated. He shot a smug look at Tetsurou.  “I’m Naoi Manabu, leader of Nekoma. You should check us out if you have the time.”  With that he walked off. _

 

_ “I’m sorry about that, please enjoy your day.”  Aya gave a small wave before walking after Naoi, she had a small limp in her left leg and Tetsurou watched as Naoi slowed so she could walk comfortably next to him.  “As if anyone would want to join your team after what you’ve just done.” _

 

_ “Bet you lunch he does.”  Naoi grinned up at her. _

 

_ “Hey Kuroo, we’re heading out.”  Koutarou called out and Tetsurou pulled his attention away from the two Nekoma members to walk over to the small group. _

 

_ “What do you know about Nekoma?”  Tetsurou asked but it was the one giving them a tour that answered, with a derisive snort. _

 

_ “They used to be quite powerful but they are bad luck now, every team leader they’ve had ends up seriously injured or dead.”  The woman said with a shake of her head. “They are full of wildcards.” She motioned for everyone to follow her and Tetsurou thought he liked the idea of a team full of wildcards. _

  
  
  
  


“So formal.”  Naoi joked as Tetsurou finished his small speech and handed the folder over to him.  “Can’t say we’re not surprised.” Naoi placed the folder on Nekomata’s desk, unopened.

 

“I’m sorry if you think I’m being ungrateful for everything you’ve done for me.”  Tetsurou said seriously. Naoi and Nekomata shared a look before assessing Tetsurou with clear, calculating eyes.

 

“Aya owes me dinner, she said you’d last at least another month before resigning.”  Naoi stated smugly, already pulling out his phone to text his old friend and partner.  Nekomata grinned as he waved away Tetsurou’s concerns.

 

“We were lucky to have you for as long as we did.”  Nekomata stated and Tetsurou felt his eyes burn a little at the sheer honesty in the older man’s voice.  “You made Nekoma great again. We have more applicants than ever and you’ve given us long lasting allies in other teams.  What more could we have asked for?”

 

“You should give him your friends number in Miyagi, the one with the PI business?”  Naoi spoke up as he put his phone away. “You’re going to be bored in the country without something to occupy your time.”

 

“Thank you but I think I’m done with investigations.”  Tetsurou gently but firmly turned that down. He ignored the heat in his face at the assumption that he would be moving to Miyagi.  Nekomata and Naoi were horrible gossips.

 

“If you say so.”  Naoi grinned as he stood.  He clasped Tetsurou on the shoulder, his eyes suspicious shiny and that made Tetsurou’s throat close up.  “It was an honor working with you.”

 

“Thank you for everything.”  Tetsurou said, voice wavering slightly.

 

“Alright.”  Naoi brushed a hand over his face before pulling his phone out.  “Thanks for not waiting a month, I have tickets for a gala I think you’re mother would love.”  Tetsurou laughed at the joke as Naoi walked away. “Hello Yui, how are you?”

 

Tetsurou watched Naoi walk away before frowning deeply.  He remembered making a deal with his mom that she wouldn’t date any Agency members until he left the Agency.  He hadn’t thought she had anyone in mind when she asked him about it.

 

“Naoi you cannot date my mother!”  Tetsurou shouted, ready to storm out after the older man but was stopped by Nekomata.  Tetsurou hadn’t even heard him move.

 

“You have always reminded me of myself.”  Nekomata is grinning as he hands Tetsurou a glass with sake in it.  Tetsurou isn’t much of a drinker but he takes the offered drink and resigns himself to his own mother dating Naoi.  “I didn’t think it could get much similar until you started dating Ukai’s boy.” They took a seat together as Tetsurou listened with rapt attention.  Nekomata didn’t talk about himself often and Tetsurou admitted he was more than a little intrigued.

 

“Can I ask why you let Ukai go?”  Tetsurou asked with hesitation. He was sure he hadn’t read the situation wrong, there had been something between Nekomata and Ukai Ikkei when they were younger.

 

“I think you know the answer to that.”  Nekomata didn’t lose his grin but there was a deep sadness in his eyes.  Tetsurou had long suspected that Nekomata wasn’t as human as he pretended.  Tetsurou guessed that Nekomata old man routine was just that, an act. He never seemed to get sick or tired and had looked about the same age from when Tetsurou first joined the Agency despite the fact that all of them had grown older.  “I would never have been able to give that old bastard the life he deserved.”

 

“Do you think I am the same way with Sawamura?”  Tetsurou wondered out loud.

 

“I worried it was quite the opposite with you two.”  Nekomata stood up to pour himself another drink. “I think you’ve done quite enough for Japan and its citizens, don’t you?  It’s time to be a bit selfish.” A flash of a younger man came over Nekomata as he turned back towards Tetsurou, young and handsome with long pointed ears and sharp teeth.

 

“Thank you sir.”  Tetsurou stood up and bowed deeply once more.

 

“I’ll send you the name and number of my friend in Miyagi, just in case.”  Nekomata grinned as Tetsurou nodded. He had no wish to get back into investigations after leaving the Agency but he didn’t need to tell Nekomata that.

 

Nekomata was right though, it was time for Tetsurou to be a little selfish.

 

But first he needed to speak to his team and that was something he had been putting off for a while now.

  
  
  
  


_ “What’s this?”  Tetsurou asked as several papers were dropped onto his temporary desk. _

 

_ “Files on the new applicants.”  Kai answered as he and Yaku sat in the chairs on the opposite side of the desk.  Tetsurou flipped through them before giving the two men across from him a hard look. _

 

_ “Shouldn’t we be deciding on a new team leader?  Or at least be actively looking for one.” Tetsurou grumbled.  Overtaking Nekoma was supposed to be a temporary position for Tetsurou.  There was so much paperwork involved and he had only been at it for a month.  Tetsurou did not miss the look Kai and Yaku exchanged. The fact that they had been on the same team for years now meant they communicated by quick glances and minute movements.  On the best of days it annoyed Tetsurou and today was not the best of days. _

 

_ “Pretty sure we’ve already got a leader.”  Yaku said with a grin the second Tetsurou started shaking his head. _

 

_ “Oh no, absolutely not.”  Tetsurou shoved the papers away from him as if that would get rid of the responsibility he had not asked for. _

 

_ “You’re probably not going to win this argument Kuroo.”  Kai stated simply. Tetsurou threw all available pens and pencils at them.  Kai swatted them away easily and Yaku just put a barrier around himself which Tetsurou considered cheating. _

 

_ “I didn’t agree to this.”  Tetsurou sighed as he pulled the files back in front of him.  Part of Tetsurou had known this would be the outcome when he agreed to the supposedly temporary position of team leader.  He truly thought it should have gone to Kai, with Yaku being unable to take it because Guardians had enough responsibility without adding team leadership to that.  “What kind of name is Lev Haiba? And look at his test scores.” Tetsurou made a face at the file in front of him. _

 

_ “Not him, that guy is a fucking disaster.”  Yaku grumbled which made Tetsurou look up at him with a growing grin.  “Don’t Kuroo, I swear to god if you put him on this team I will make your life a living hell.” _

 

_ “You already do.”  Tetsurou motioned around the office he had not wanted. _

 

_ “He is a necromancer, it’s a rare talent.”  Kai stated, easily turning against Yaku with no hesitation. _

 

_ “Fuck you.”  Yaku growled out. _

 

_ “Good, it’s decided, you will train him.”  Tetsurou said in his best, or worst depending on how a person viewed it, sing-song voice. _

 

_ “Fuck you too.”  Tetsurou made kissy faces at Yaku until the shorter man was diving over the desk to punch him. _

 

_ “I am your leader and I demand respect!”  Tetsurou scrambled around the desk, away from Yaku. _

 

_ “Get over here and I’ll show you Respect.”  Yaku threatened. _

 

_ “I think Respect is what he named his left fist.”  Kai supplied helpfully as he pushed his chair out of the way. _

  
  
  
  


Tetsurou was not at all surprised to find the entirety of Nekoma in Kai and Yaku’s shared office.  They all stared at him with clever eyes, looking pleased with themselves.

 

“What have I told you about going through my computer?”  Tetsurou turned to Kenma with mock outrage.

 

“If you don’t want people seeing your personal files then you shouldn’t use the same password you’ve been using since middle school.”  Kenma replied with a shrug. Tetsurou rubbed a hand through his hair as he glanced around the room again.

 

“I turned in my two weeks notice.”  Tetsurou announced though it felt a bit anticlimactic since it was clear everyone already knew.  “I expect every single one of you to help clear out my office.” It was a real mess in there and Tetsurou wanted to hold his authority over their heads while he still could.

 

“No.”  Kenma stated simply and Tetsurou tossed himself dramatically into the only open seat.

 

“We have to start working with the new greenies and go through more applicants to replace you three.”  Yamamoto complained though Tetsurou knew he would be one of the first ones to show up and help Tetsurou box up his things.

 

“Wait- us three?”  Tetsurou asked, sitting up and looking over at Kai and Yaku.  Kai looked as serene as usual, which was a complete and utter fallacy on his part.  Yaku snorted derisively. “You two are leaving also?”

 

“Kai’s last day was technically the beginning of last month.”  Yaku smirked over at Tetsurou, happy to mock Tetsurou for not realizing that sooner.

 

“I got an extension when everything started happening.”  Kai explained further. “But as of today I’m no longer a member of the Agency.”  He shrugged as if it mattered very little but Tetsurou could see the way his shoulders were more relaxed, his smile coming a little easier.

 

“I’m sticking around until the end of the year but in more of a training capacity.”  Yaku motioned around the office, which Tetsurou did notice was looking a bit bare.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice.”  Tetsurou said, feeling guilty about it.

 

“You’ve had bigger worries.”  Kai easily let him off the hook.

 

“You’ve always been a bit self absorbed.”  Yaku gave him a punch in the gut for good measure.  “I’m not helping you move out of your apartment.”

 

“Kuroo!”  Lev leaned forward, interrupting in his usual loud and cheerful way.  Yaku’s face was a mixture of fondness and annoyance. Lately there had been more fondness than annoyance.  “Can I visit you in Miyagi? Shouyou has told me all about the Sawamura Shrine and the spirits!” Tetsurou stared at Lev as he felt himself grow slightly uncomfortable.

 

“You stupid shit, you haven’t talked to Sawamura yet have you?”  Yaku rubbed his face in utter resignation.

 

“Idiot.”  Kenma agreed quickly, which earned a wounded noise from Tetsurou.

 

“Open and honest communication is important in any relationship.”  Kai spoke up, that impish devil was always happy to put fuel on the fire.

 

“Kuroo please make up with Sawamura so I can visit!”  Lev pleaded with big eyes.

 

“Maybe we should go out for lunch in celebration?”  Shibayama asked, the only good one amongst a team full of evil assholes.

 

“I’ll buy you whatever you want Shibayama, my treat.”  Tetsurou stated as he patted the younger mans head.

 

“Did you hear that, our dumbass of a team leader is going to buy us lunch to make up for all the years we’ve had to deal with his shit.”  Yaku said as he stood up, earning a cheer from the whole team. Tetsurou sputtered out denials which were promptly ignored.

 

“You should go easy on him.”  Kai said as everyone filed out of the office.  Tetsurou turned to Kai with a thanks on his lips before the other man continued.  “He’s going to be jobless soon and you know he hasn’t put any money into his savings account.”

 

Tetsurou whined at that but once they received the check after eating he took care of it.  Part of him felt bad about leaving, guilt that he owed them so much more, shame that he literally owed them his life and he was leaving.  He knew the team would still be strong without him, they would select new members who would fill the gaps that Tetsurou, Kai, and Yaku would make after they left and be made stronger for it.  It didn’t stop him from regretting his decision, just a little even though he knew it was the right one for him.

 

“Have you told him yet?”  Kenma asked once they were alone, walking down the street to Kenma’s flat.  Tetsurou’s instinct was to pretend he didn’t know who Kenma was talking about, but he discarded that idea because Kenma would see right through it.

 

“I haven’t seen him since-” Tetsurou made a motion though he wasn’t sure what it was supposed to mean.  How was it possible to sum up the horrific day in just a word or two? Kenma would know what he was talking about either way, words have never been a necessity between the two of them.

 

“Kuro.”  Kenma said with clear disapproval.  Tetsurou shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and tried not to look too guilty.  “What are you scared of?”

 

“I’m not scared of anything.”  Tetsurou replied automatically though they both knew it for the lie it was.  But Kenma didn’t say anything, just stared up at him as they continued to walk until Tetsurou could bare it no longer.  “He hasn’t tried to get into contact with me either.”

 

“He has his reasons.”  Tetsurou turned to Kenma in surprise but the younger man waved off his questions.  “What are yours? Are you having second thoughts about the two of you?”

 

“No.”  Tetsurou answered immediately.  “I went full demon and nearly beat a man to death.”

 

“You’re purposefully leaving out important details of what that man has done.”  Kenma stated simply. “It’s not as if you attacked an innocent person on the street for no reason.  He hurt and killed countless people, he took Sawamura as a last ditch effort to complete some petty form of revenge.  He would have killed him if given the chance.”

 

“I know that.”  Tetsurou scowled down at the ground.  If he ever heard of Oguri it would be too soon.

 

“Then what’s your point?”  Kenma prodded. Most of the time Kenma left well enough alone, he didn’t appreciate people poking around in his business and he afforded the same care to others.  But sometimes he refused to let something drop. Tetsurou both hated and loved that about his oldest friend.

 

“Daichi knows what I am but it’s not as if I go around rubbing his face in it.”  Tetsurou felt his shoulders drop as he continued to talk. “It hasn’t been that long since you brought me back and he refused to refer to me as anything but  _ the demon _ .  What if that was too much for him?  I don’t want him to feel obligated to continue on because I helped save his life.”

 

“You won’t know until you actually talk to him.”  Kenma sighed as he leaned slightly against Tetsurou’s side after they had come to a stop outside his building.  “Sawamura has a lot of issues and he’s use to people leaving him. If he thinks this is your way of detaching yourself then he won’t fight it, he’ll let you go.  Is that what you want?”

 

The answer was obvious to Tetsurou.

  
  
  
  


_ Tetsurou hadn’t been sure about Akaashi Keiji when he was first introduced as the newest member of Fukurodani.  First of all he was far too pretty. Who walked around looking like a photoshopped add from a glossy magazine all the time?  He also seemed like he would be the worst fit for Bokuto Koutarou, who Tetsurou very much liked and had for years since they had met in high school. _

 

_ Koutarou had the innate ability to be liked by everyone around him.  There were very few people who knew Koutarou in passing that could say a bad word about him.  But those who worked closer with him tended to have a slightly better understanding. He was a lot for most people to handle, though he had gotten better as the years went on.  He had learned to self soothe and work out his problems before they got so big they seemed impossible to overcome. _

 

_ Tetsurou hadn’t ever blamed Koutarou for his issues.  Everyone had them and the older people got the more they realized they had numerous problems to deal with.  Koutarou’s home life when he was growing up was tumultuous to say the least. His parents forgot to feed and clothe him most days so he didn’t exactly get a lot of support and love from them. _

 

_ Most people didn’t know about Koutarou’s past because he kept it deeply hidden.  Tetsurou knew because he had been there during the tailend of it, before Koutarou learned the harsh reality that some parents never got better, that he would never get what he wanted from them.  So people saw Koutarou as he was, brave and strong and clever. They couldn’t understand why Koutarou was so hard on himself, why he fell into dark holes at seemingly the smallest thing. _

 

_ So when Akaashi came alone with his perfect face and his outstanding test scores and completely supportive family, Tetsurou was a little quick to judge that this was one person who was never going to understand Koutarou and be the support system he needed.  Tetsurou hadn’t been too worried about it. Fukurodani had been difficult for Koutarou at first, when he began to realize that the Agency wasn’t what he always believed it was. That the people could be harsh and cruel. That he could train for hours and still some wouldn’t consider him good enough. _

 

_ The more senior members moved to different teams, retired, or moved on.  Koutarou had a good solid foundation with the members in his own group. Washio, Sarukui, Konoha, and Komi seemed a good fit for Koutarou and he for them.  They never got angry or upset when Koutarou lost it, they just filled in the gaps and waited for him to recover because they knew from personal experience that Koutarou always brought himself out of it. _

 

_ Akaashi was new though.  New, shiny, and perfect and Tetsurou had thought he would expect the same from everyone around him.  Especially since they were involved with such a prestigious team. _

 

_ There had been a banquet held for the Agency members and their families.  Several rising stars would be recognized during it and Koutarou had made that list along with the likes of Ushijima Wakatoshi and Sakusa Kiyoomi.  It was a great honor and Koutarou had walked around with a puffed out chest for weeks when it was announced. _

 

_ The Agency had gotten into contact with the honoree’s family, inviting them to the banquet.  It would should have been fine except Koutarou’s parents were some of the most selfish and destructive people Tetsurou had ever had the displeasure of knowing.  They had taken a night that Koutarou should have cherished and made it all about them, as they usually did. They chewed into each other and when Koutarou tried to step in, they had spewed their venom onto him. _

 

_ Why was Koutarou at the bottom of the list?  What was he doing so wrong that he was below three other people?  People younger than Koutarou had been named team leaders, why wasn’t Koutarou? _

 

_ They had caused a scene that by the end of the night everyone, even those who hadn’t been at the banquet like Tetsurou, had known about it.  Tetsurou had been furious and he spent the next two days calling and texting Koutarou with rising worry. _

 

_ “Having even one degree is impressive Bokuto, even more so that you managed to get even more and want to continue your education.”  Akaashi stated in his usual soft tone. They all sat at a table in a restaurant together, Tetsurou had been silent most of the time as he observed the other two men interact.  “Could you cook mine too? I always seem to burn it and yours comes out perfect.” _

 

_ It wasn’t as if Akaashi was being over the top with his words.  It was impressive that Bokuto had two degrees and he was working on a third while being full time with the Agency and Akaashi had managed to burn everything he had cooked on the grill at their table.  It was as if he knew just the right words to say to prod Koutarou out of his dark mood. _

 

_ Akaashi caught Tetsurou’s eye because maybe he had been staring a little.  There was a slight lifting of his chin, a challenge of a sort, a show of defiance.  Akaashi knew Tetsurou didn’t exactly approve of him and that was the always polite Akaashi’s way of telling Tetsurou that he didn’t give a single fuck if Tetsurou approved of him or not, he was going to be there whether Tetsurou wanted him to or not.  Tetsurou couldn’t help but smirk, which he hid behind his glass as he took a sip and glanced away. _

 

_ A waiter walked over to a table near them with a man in a ill fitting suit.  He could have been another faceless businessman if it wasn’t for the nasty looking cut along the side of his head, right above his right ear.  The hair had been shaved there, the stitched up cut standing in stark contrast to the dark hair around it. He had arrived a little after Tetsurou’s group and he saw most people in the restaurant try to glance at him, trying to figure out how he managed to get the deep wound along with the dark bruises that bloomed against his jawline. _

 

_ The waiter bent down, an apologetic bow and a face twisted up with embarrassment and a little fear.  The man glanced at his phone, most likely checking the time before Tetsurou saw those big shoulders that even a poorly fitted suit couldn’t hide, heave with a deep breath.  The man stood, pulling out several bills from his wallet as he bowed to the waiter. _

 

_ “I guess  he forgot, I’m sorry for occupying your table.”  His voice was deep and soft, his smile warm despite the fact that people had edged away from him and he had taken note of it. _

 

_ Tetsurou looked away from him because it hurt to look at him any longer though he could see the man walk out of the building, felt the breath of relief people released as he did so.  Tetsurou had felt what most people with any sense at all could feel from him, danger. An explosive power bubbling up inside him. But Tetsurou could also see an undeniable sadness in the set of the man's shoulders, a heavy wariness in his steps. _

 

_ Tetsurou had never seen anyone look in more of need of a friend than that stranger had.  But Tetsurou had his own friends and family to worry about, he would leave that man in someone else’s care. _

 

_ “Do you think he was yakuza?”  Koutarou asked, obviously noticing the man’s exit also. _

 

_ “I think he was left alone when he needed someone.”  Tetsurou answered honestly. Koutarou met his eyes and knocked his knee against Tetsurou’s, a small smile playing on his lips because he knew no matter what, Tetsurou would be there for him. _

 

_ “Bokuto my meat.”  Akaashi reminded him and Koutarou let out a crow of anguish as he tried to rescue the charred piece.  “That’s fine, I will just eat yours.” _

 

_ “Akaashi no!”  Koutarou begged but Akaashi was merciless as he took Koutarou’s own food.  While Koutarou put his head down on the table and lamented his woe’s, Akaashi motioned to the waiter to bring more food for them. _

  
  
  
  


Tetsurou walked down the long hall in Section Five’s building.  The paint was chipped and it seemed about every third or fourth light was burnt out.  There was a constant smell of something musky and they had a dog as a receptionist. Tetsurou admitted the dog was quite adorable, a previously skinny stray that had huddled under the desk during a bad storm that no one had the heart to kick back out.  He now had a total count of three beds and a bowl of water and food that was always full, though no one admitted to feeding him.

 

Dogs were terrible receptionist.  He let through anyone that had a treat or a pet for him and never passed on any messages.  Suga had told Tetsurou that the superiors in the Agency had tried to get rid of him but the members of Section Five had caused such a ruckus they had backed off.  Now the dog had a little yellow vest that proclaimed him a therapy dog and various agents could be seen curled up next to him when things got too stressful.

 

All of that was good and well but Tetsurou wished for someone who could tell him where his elusive boyfriend was.  Daichi hadn’t been in his office, neither was he in Suga and Asahi’s office. Not in the cafeteria and he wasn’t out on the job since Karasuno was still officially on break after being disbanded and then rebanded.

 

Tetsurou was now peeking into each of the training rooms, hoping that he wouldn’t find Daichi in there.  He had been severely injured, not to mention exhausted. Tetsurou had been kind of hoping he would have been sleeping it off somewhere, but he should have known better.  He did know better, which is why he was checking the training rooms.

 

At the end of the hall, where the last four lights were burnt out and most sane people would shy away from stood a familiar figure.  Tall and built with lean muscles, though he’d always be on the leaner side. Unusually slumped over and hand reaching out towards the door handle, fingers trembling.

 

“Tsukki?”  Tetsurou asked, the nickname coming easy on his tongue.  The young man turned in surprise. Tetsurou had never seen anyone sneak up on Tsukishima before.

 

Tetsurou had only known Tsukishima for a few short years but he had changed greatly in that short period of time.  He was still ridiculously tall and wielded sarcasm like a weapon, he spoke with more disdain than the average person and still pretended that everyone annoyed the shit out of him.  But he had softened in his own way. He worked hard to be on the same level as those around him, he did everything he could to protect his team while pretending he didn’t care.

 

“You’re here for Sawamura?” Tsukishima turned his body away from the door and Tetsurou could guess who was inside, who Tsukishima had been so hesitant to interact with.

 

“You too?”  Tetsurou asked back.  Tsukishima frowned deeply towards the floor, shoulders stiff as he struggled with something Tetsurou couldn’t see.

 

“He was arrested because of me.”  Tsukishima stated, the words coming out slow at first then quickly gaining speed as if he had been holding this in for too long.  Tetsurou stood there and let him speak his peace. “I wasn’t paying attention when they grabbed us. Hinata could have gotten out of there by himself but I- he was willing to have his power stripped away.  Who does that for someone they work with?” Light eyes stared up at Tetsurou, pleading for answers.

 

“You know you’re more to him than that.”  Tetsurou answered the easiest question first.  Tsukishima was an asshole and he made everything more difficult than it needed to be but he was Daichi’s asshole junior.

 

“They would have killed him and then they would have killed us, why would he go through that?”  Tsukishima asked.

 

Tsukishima lost his parents when he was younger and he was left in his older brothers care.  The problem was his brother was still a kid himself, barely an adult and they had struggled. He had thought giving Tsukishima up so that he could perhaps be adopted by another family was the best thing for him.  The younger Tsukishima thought of that as the ultimate betrayal and their relationship still suffered from feelings he had held onto since he was a kid.

 

Tsukishima couldn’t understand why Daichi, someone who was just supposed to be a boss to him, would give up so much when his own brother had abandoned him.  Of course it wasn’t that simple, but Tsukishima had only been a kid when it happened and that’s how he saw it.

 

“To buy time for someone to find you or for you to rescue yourself.”  Tetsurou answered honestly.

 

“But I couldn’t do anything!”  Tsukishima ducked his head, his shoulders shaking slightly.  Tetsurou stepped forward and carefully placed his hand on the back of Tsukishima’s head, gently guiding the younger man to rest his forehead against Tetsurou’s shoulder.

 

“If you want to do something to make up for that then get stronger.”  Tetsurou could tell Tsukishima none of it was his fault, that Daichi would never blame him nor Hinata about what happened.  That absolutely none of the responsibility fell on either of their shoulders but that’s not what Tsukishima needed. “Become smarter and quicker so next time something like that happens you can get yourself out of it quicker, or prevent it from happening all together.  Watch over your team, help them defensively so they can do all their ridiculously powerful attacks without worrying.”

 

As much as Tetsurou wanted to wrap Tsukishima up in a hug he resisted.  The fact that Tsukishima was allowing that much contact was beyond anything Tetsurou had thought would ever happen.

 

Tsukishima only allowed the comfort for less than a minute before he was pulling back and turning his head, wiping quickly at his face as he did so.  It was a good act, if Tetsurou hadn’t been there during it he wouldn’t have guessed that Tsukishima had broken down only a moment prior.

 

“Please take care of him.”  Tsukishima mumbled, almost so quietly Tetsurou would have missed it if he hadn’t been listening so hard.  Tsukishima strode past him, back down the hall. “And yourself.” Tetsurou grinned at Tsukishima’s back. He bit back a remark, knowing that it had taken a lot for Tsukishima to say that and watched him silently as he retreated.

 

Tetsurou took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, centering himself for whatever waited on the other side of that door.  He would be fine no matter what happened but that didn’t stop him from wanting it all to turn out in his favor.

 

Upon opening the door Tetsurou was nearly pushed back by the amount of power overflowing the room.  It was warm and familiar, though unusually fed with anger and resentment, but Tetsurou pushed through without worry before closing the door quietly behind him and leaning his back against it.  The training room was left in disrepair, the mats on the floor were faded and sunken in spots, there wasn’t much equipment at all and the only bench that was pushed off to the far left side was broken in the middle.  Still it was kept clean otherwise.

 

There was only one person in the room, which Tetsurou wasn’t surprised by.  He knew the training rooms at the beginning of the hall were kept in better shape with the newest equipment but the members of Karasuno had always favored this one.  It was spacious with a high ceiling and big windows that let in a lot of natural light.

 

The magic in the room was pulsing in time with each hit to an abused punching bag.  It felt as if Tetsurou was standing near a roaring bonfire, the prickling against his skin a small warning that if he stepped any closer there would be consequences.  But he also felt how that magic curled around him, brushed against his frayed nerves and settled something inside of him that he hadn’t realized was ruffled.

 

Daichi was set up in the corner of the training room.  He must have been there for hours by that point considering the backup of magic flooding the room and the way his body glistened with sweat.  Despite being exhausted his hits landed with quick efficiency, neither slowing down or becoming sloppy in any form. His gray shirt stuck close to the contours of his body and his hair was matted down by sweat.  His face was red from exertion and Tetsurou knew he probably didn’t smell to great by that point but he knew he must be a goner by that point because he thought Daichi looked beautiful.

 

“Maybe give that poor bag a break and spar with me.”  Tetsurou spoke up, already pulling off his jacket but Daichi hardly paused as he double tapped the bag in a quick move that had it swaying.

 

“Not today.”  Daichi said, voice rough.  Tetsurou brushed off his own feelings, knowing that it wasn’t a dismissal but an evasion.  Daichi didn’t spar when he was angry or upset the same way he didn’t have sex when he was feeling anything but content or happy.  Tetsurou always respected that choice because he knew control was important to Daichi but today he wouldn’t let the other man off so easily.

 

Tetsurou kicked off his shoes before pulling off his socks.  Instinct had made him put on more comfortable clothes after he had finished his shift that day and he was glad it did because fighting in slacks wouldn’t have been fun.

 

“Sawamura.”  Tetsurou hadn’t realized how angry he was until he was striding across the mat towards Daichi, saw the stiffening of the other man's shoulders as he prepared for something.

 

“No.”  Daichi answered the unasked question but it didn’t matter because Tetsurou wasn’t waiting for permission.  He whipped his leg up, aiming for a high kick. Daichi twisted his body and grabbed Tetsurou’s ankle, pulling him forward and off balance.

 

Tetsurou and Daichi had spared many times over the years.  Sometimes they did it with magic but mostly it was just with their bodies.  Daichi was a big stone boulder, a person could spend hours pummelling him and he wouldn’t budge an inch.  It was difficult to throw him off balance and he had moments of quick movements that left his opponents shocked.  His stamina was also off the charts. Tetsurou knew that having a long, drawn out fight with Daichi would never end in his favor.  Tetsurou was faster than Daichi, able to read the barest of movements with ease.

 

So Tetsurou regained his footing because of hours of practice, shifting his body and going for another blow aimed towards Daichi’s side.  Daichi evaded the attack, which Tetsurou had planned on which is why he was already moving to take out Daichi’s legs from underneath him.

 

Tetsurou knew the only reason he was able to make this happen was because Daichi was already exhausted and still healing from serious injuries.  But he took his victories where he could and wasted no time in pinning Daichi to the mat, hovering over him and using his longer limbs to keep Daichi’s thighs and arms down.

 

“Just fucking talk to me!”  Tetsurou shouted without really meaning to.  His words came out on a sob, embarrassing him but he pushed that away as he glared down at a suddenly still Daichi.  “Please Dai, talk to me.” Tetsurou pleaded quieter, less forceful.

 

“What is there to say?”  Daichi asked and the clear anguish in his eyes made it difficult for Tetsurou to look at him but he refused to look away.  “Oguri got his wish, I’m completely ostracized by the Agency. I’m being forced out because I admitted to using Black Magic.  My name will be wiped from records just like my parents were and because of me, because of my actions Karasuno is on suspension.”  Tetsurou released Daichi so the other man could sit up. He cringed when he tried to wipe away sweat from his eyes but the rest of him was just as sweaty.  Tetsurou snickered as he lifted his own shirt and carefully wiped at Daichi’s face.

 

“I fail to understand how any of this is your fault.”  Tetsurou said honestly. “It’s not as if you were draining innocent people for their blood.  You used it for barriers and wards, you protected people with it.”

 

“It’s still against the law and I broke that law, they can’t have people throwing away rules just because they don’t work for them.”  Daichi said, as if repeating something someone had told him several times.

 

“Fuck them.”  Tetsurou said earning a surprised look from Daichi.  “I mean it. Screw them and their outdated rules. The only reason Tokyo hasn’t been reduced to ruins several times over is because of you.  Anyone who has worked with you for more than five minutes knows that and anyone who thinks differently can go to hell.” A ghost of a smile appeared on Daichi’s tired face.

 

“All I ever wanted was to do this job well.”  Daichi admitted softly, eyes darting elsewhere.

 

“Because of your parents.”  Tetsurou said to which Daichi nodded after a small pause.  “It’s okay to be angry with them.” Daichi looked up at Tetsurou with clear shock before it was replaced by slow understanding.

 

“I always bragged to the other kids about my parents, everyone thought they were so cool.”  Daichi leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Tetsurou’s chest. He was practically straddling Daichi still and his knees were aching but he would suffer a lot worse before he moved.  “But I just wanted them to be home, to act like other kids parents. Pick me up at school, ask how my day was while they made dinner, come to my games. But they were never there and I didn’t want to make their life's difficult by telling them any of that.”

 

It was like Tsukishima and his brother.  As an adult Daichi knew his parents hadn’t chosen to leave him, knew that they were just trying to do what was best for everyone.  But there was still that part of Daichi who was just a kid, waiting at a friends house for his parents to pick him up. Daichi’s parents hadn’t willingly abandoned him but they still did, the same way his grandparents had when he barely stepped into adulthood.  Daichi had always tried to act older, be more mature so he didn’t make trouble for anyone. He had lived that way even as an adult and he tried so hard all the time but what had come from it?

 

Being dishonorably discharged from a place that had always treated him like unwanted garbage.  A fractured team that might be split up at the end of the day. Countless wounds not only on his body but his soul as well.

 

“Let me in.”  Tetsurou whispered against Daichi’s temple.  Daichi’s breathing stuttered and he started to shake his head, denying Tetsurou once again.  “Please.” Tetsurou added because the other man had yet to deny him anything once he asked a second time.

 

It wasn’t as if Daichi brought the wall down between their minds, Tetsurou wasn’t sure if the other man was capable of doing that just yet.  But he let something akin to a window, so Tetsurou could feel and see inside of Daichi to a place no one else had been allowed to see.

 

There was a lot of anger, as Tetsurou had suspected.  Bitterness and resentment bubbled up close to the top and underneath so much sadness.  It made Tetsurou want to cry just looking at it, experiencing it second hand. Tetsurou couldn’t help undo past hurts but there was something he could fix, something Daichi had already began to accept as fact even before talking to Tetsurou.

 

Daichi was used to people abandoning him and he had thought the silence between him and Tetsurou meant he was trying to distance himself.  Tetsurou wanted to put an end to that worry right then.

 

“I should have come to you sooner but I was worried.”  Tetsurou admitted softly, fingers curling into Daichi’s hair.  They had shaved off a chunk of it above his right ear. There was an old and faded scar right above his ear that Tetsurou never knew he had, a newer cut was about half the size but much thicker sat right above it.

 

“Worried?”  Daichi asked, hands hesitantly placed on Tetsurou’s hips as he looked up at him.

 

“About what you saw that night, of me.”  Tetsurou clarified but Daichi continued to look confused.  “What I changed into.”

 

“Your tactical gear?”  Daichi asked.

 

“When I beat up Oguri.”  Tetsurou continued on but Daichi still didn’t look as if he was getting it.  “I went, you know, full demon.”

 

“Did you?”  Daichi asked, brows pressed together.

 

“You were there!”  Tetsurou wanted to shake the man beneath him but worried about injuring him further.  Daichi was still breathing heavily from his long and intensive work out and he still hadn’t regained all of his coloring.

 

“Tetsurou, do me a favor and cover one eye.”  Tetsurou sighed but did as was requested of him.  “Now squint your eyes. What do you see?”

 

“Blurry shapes?”  Tetsurou asked, feeling like an idiot.

 

“Right.  That’s all I could see for like two days.”  Tetsurou’s hand dropped into his lap as he stared down at a smiling Daichi.  “Full demon, huh? Did you happen to have a set of horns, long twisted ones on top and then they got smaller as they went down your skull?  How about claws and sharp teeth? Red and black ink that spread up your arms and face that kind of resembled scales?”

 

“You knew?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“It’s how I saw you the first time we met.”  Daichi answered with a shrug, finger gently tracing the side of Tetsurou’s face as if picture the scales that had appeared there.  “It was just a moment until you looked more like this but that image sticks with a person.”

 

“It- it doesn’t bother you?  What I am?” Tetsurou asked, feeling oddly insecure and hating himself for it but he had to know.  Had to be sure.

 

“I’ve known since the beginning.”  Daichi said before his eyes cleared as he met Tetsurou’s stare head on.  “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me? Because you thought I wouldn’t want to be with you anymore because you went, how did you put it?”

 

“Full demon.”  Tetsurou answered, feeling suddenly very foolish as Daichi tried to bite back a grin.  “I guess we both need to work on our communication skills.” Tetsurou pressed his forehead against Daichi’s.  “Speaking of, I kind of put my two weeks in.”

 

“Kind of?”  Daichi asked to which Tetsurou gave a sheepish grin.

 

“I did.”  Daichi looked ready to argue so Tetsurou continued on.  “The Agency was never supposed to be a lifelong job for me and I already died once doing it.  After I was brought back I stopped having the same interest in it as before but I wasn’t sure what else I could do and I felt like I had to stick around.  But I’m tired of it.”

 

“What do you want to do now?”  Daichi asked, expression carefully neutral but Tetsurou could see into Daichi’s mind now, knew he was afraid and a little hopeful.

 

“Well my lease on my apartment is up and now that I don’t have a job I can’t really afford to live in Tokyo anymore.”  Tetsurou stated slowly, watching as that hope grew inside Daichi and that allowed him to continue on. “I was kind of thinking about giving teaching a try, too bad I don’t know anyone who would need my help.”

 

“Are you saying you want to come to Miyagi with me and work at the orphanage?”  Daichi asked, hands gently cupping Tetsurou’s red face. The old caretaker of the orphanage had ended up being a terrible monster who devoured children, Daichi had been more or less pushed into the role to take over it considering most of the boys there had powers.

 

“I’m saying I would go anywhere with you if you let me.”  Tetsurou stated honestly, letting out a soft sigh of relief when Daichi leaned up to kiss him.

 

“I love you.”  Daichi said in between kisses.  Tetsurou groaned as he pushed Daichi down flat against the mat, deepening the kiss and pressing their bodies together.  Tetsurou knew the only camera in the very corner of the room hadn’t been operational in years and he had locked the door behind him.

 

Tetsurou hadn’t planned on stopping until Daichi let out grunt that was more pain filled than pleasure.

 

“What’s wrong?”  Tetsurou asked worriedly, leaning up to see that Daichi was trying to stretch out his leg.

 

“Leg cramp!  I didn’t stretch after.”  Daichi pushed Tetsurou off of him when he started laughing, groaning as he tried to work out the cramp while simultaneously telling Tetsurou to shut up.

  
  
  
  


_ Daichi looked about as close to pouting as Tetsurou had ever seen him come.  His brow was furrowed as he placed another bucket down underneath the leaking roof and he was actively keeping himself from letting his frown even deepen further.  Tetsurou leaned against the wall as a big fat drop of water landed on the tip of Daichi’s nose, making him scrunch up his face as he nudged the bucket to better catch the water before wiping his face. _

 

_ “I’m sorry.”  Daichi said, voice soft and eyes looking elsewhere.  Tetsurou stood up and made his way over to Daichi, using the edge of the towel wrapped around his neck to wipe the moisture from Daichi’s face. _

 

_ “Weather forecast called for clear skies, you can’t control the weather.”  Tetsurou reminded Daichi but he still looked like he was blaming himself, taking it all to heart as if he could have done better. _

 

_ Tetsurou understood the reasoning.  It was their first trip away, really their first time spending any extended amount of time together.  It had taken months until both their schedules aligned, and Tetsurou suspected both their teams had schemed together to make it perfect for them.  Tetsurou had expected to spend some time in Miyagi, at Daichi’s house but Daichi had taken them to the coast instead. Neither had seen the ocean since they were younger and Daichi had known of the perfect cabin, a place his parents had rented for his sixth birthday. _

 

_ Over two decades later Daichi returned but it was no longer the shining palace he had remembered.  The floorboards were warped and eroded in places where hundreds of feet had stepped. The wallpaper was peeling off in long strips, some of it already curled up on the ground where it fell.  Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust and grime. The roof was leaking in more spots than they had buckets and Tetsurou had just learned the hot water only worked for the first five minutes of a shower. _

 

_ The drive up had been perfect, blue skies with fluffy white clouds.  The second they pulled onto the long winding road that led to their cabin the skies had opened up and unleashed a downpour that made it difficult to see a meter in front of them. _

 

_ Tetsurou could instantly see Daichi’s good mood falling away as they discovered one broken thing after another.  Tetsurou could deal with leaky roofs and a broken oven, but he could not stand the disappointment weighing down Daichi’s shoulders. _

 

_ Tetsurou started softly laying kisses over Daichi’s cheeks, his nose, and forehead.  Barely there touches were grazed against his temples, the corner of his lips, the tip of his ears until he felt Daichi relaxing against him.  Daichi’s fingers curled into the fabric of Tetsurou’s shirt, his face tilting upwards as Tetsurou smiled against his jaw, tracing kissing down the thick column of Daichi’s throat, letting his tongue take a small taste right against Daichi’s pulse. _

 

_ They really hadn’t been able to do much since they officially started dating.  When they saw each other after long shifts they tended to eat and ended up slumping against each other on the couch, falling asleep still in their work clothes as they tried to tell the other about their day.  When they managed to get a day off at the same time, which was rare, they accompanied each other on their chores. Grabbing groceries or picking up new shoes, cleaning their apartments that have been left alone for weeks.  Even rarer they went on dates, to see the latest movie or to eat out. _

 

_ It seemed every time they would start getting somewhere they would be interrupted.  It got the point where Tetsurou was wishing for just a solid hour alone with Daichi, then it got knocked down to thirty minutes.  If he could just get half an hour alone with Daichi he would be set. _

 

_ Now he had an extended weekend with Daichi so he cared very little for windows that didn’t really close properly or a fridge that sounded like it had asthma.  He had no idea how to convey that to Daichi though, or if it was even an okay thing to say. They seemed to be on the same page but not even Tetsurou was so far gone that he would say something calloused like, “Who cares what has happened to your favorite childhood memory?  We’re going to have lots of sex.” _

 

_ So instead Tetsurou eased Daichi into the mood with gentle nips and soft kisses, wandering hands and careful whispers against warm skin.  If Daichi truly didn’t want to be apart of this then Tetsurou had no problem backing off, but Daichi seemed to be very reciperative, which Tetsurou appreciated. _

 

_ Everything was going so well.  The kisses were beginning to deepen, hands were pushing up and under clothing and Tetsurou was slowly backing Daichi towards the bedroom.  Tetsurou had managed to unbutton and pull the zip of Daichi’s jeans down, swallowing Daichi’s groan of approval with a deep kiss before he made a fatal mistake.  He nudged Daichi towards the bed, letting the other man plop down heavily and was about to drop to his knees when a cloud of dust rose off the bed, making Daichi cough and sneeze and Tetsurou stepped back and covered his face. _

 

_ “Fucks sake.”  Tetsurou grumbled, wondering why the universe had it out for him.  He looked up to see a very disgruntled looking Daichi. A fine layer of dust had settled over him, his brows were pulled low over his eyes, and his short dark hair was messed up from Tetsurou running his fingers through it.  His mouth was red, his lips slightly swollen and the neckline of his shirt was stretched from where Tetsurou had pulled it down to gain better access to Daichi’s collarbone. The bottom of his shirt was rucked up, baring skin a couple shades lighter than his arms and face while his jeans were unzipped and open. _

 

_ “Tetsurou?”  Daichi asked in surprise as Tetsurou basically leaped on him, sending up more dust but he didn’t care as he kissed Daichi deeply, hands cupping his face and those pink-tinged cheeks.  “It’s filthy in here.” Daichi said in between kisses. Tetsurou slid off the bed, landed on his knees between Daichi’s spread legs and placed his hands over the wide expanse of Daichi’s hard thighs. _

 

_ After that Daichi had no breath with which to complain with. _

  
  
  
  
  


Tetsurou placed the last couple items in his box before glancing around for the last time.  He had an extended lunch with his team beforehand and he had gotten several offers to help with the last of his things but it wasn’t much.  All of it fit in one box, he had been slowly emptying out his office for the past two weeks and had only left the bare necessities behind.

 

The crying had surprised Tetsurou.  He knew himself well enough to know how emotional he could get when prompted and had thought he would be able to hold it together for one meal.  He thought he would be fine if it had been the junior members crying, Yamamoto cried at most things and Lev was always a joiner. But even Kai’s eyes had gone glossy with tears as he thanked everyone for the past couple years.

 

Tetsurou was man enough to admit that he lost it after that and it had only gone downhill from there.

 

Now his eyes felt hot and scratchy, his throat dry though he had finished off several glasses of water.  Staring at the bare office he thought he was doing a good job of holding it together.

 

“Tetsurou!”  A voice cried from down the hall and Tetsurou popped his head out of the office to see the familiar figure of Bokuto Koutarou running towards him at full speed.

 

“No Bo, my hands are full!”  Tetsurou tried to yell but in the end dropped the box so he could properly catch Koutarou.  He grunted upon impact, stumbling back a couple feet before he steadied both of them. Koutarou had managed to wrap his legs around Tetsurou’s waist, his arms around Tetsurou’s shoulders and Koutarou’s wet face was pressed against Tetsurou’s.  “You’re coming to visit us at the end of the month.” Tetsurou reminded him but Koutarou only cried harder, burying his face in Tetsurou’s shoulder. Tetsurou watched as Akaashi walked down the hall, face impassive as he observed the two grown men making a scene in the middle of the hallway.

 

“You weren’t even going to say goodbye.”  Koutarou complained and Tetsurou tightened his arms around the other man.

 

“No goodbyes with us Kou, just see you later.”  Tetsurou hitched Koutarou up a little higher when he started to slide down.

 

“You’re going to move away and forget all about me.”  Koutarou said softly and Tetsurou nudged Koutarou’s face until the other man hesitantly looked at him.

 

“Never, that’s never going to happen.”  Tetsurou knew Koutarou’s fear. They had been together in almost everything they did for over a decade.  The unknown waiting for both of them was terrifying, especially Koutarou who had to deal with the corrupt figures within the Agency.  “Stop crying, I want to see a smile please.” Tetsurou placed big, sloppy kisses all over Koutarou’s face until he was laughing and pushing away from Tetsurou, landing lightly on his feet and several steps away.

 

“I’m going to tell Sawamura.”  Koutarou threatened but they both knew it was empty.  The same way Tetsurou never got jealous over the closeness Daichi shared with Terushima or Suga meant Daichi never expressed jealousy over how close Tetsurou and Koutarou were.  They had even fallen asleep together on Daichi’s couch, curled up into each other’s space and Daichi had just placed a blanket over them and let them sleep.

 

Koutarou stepped closer to give Tetsurou a proper hug.  Koutarou was one of the best huggers Tetsurou had ever known.  He was a big guy and it was like being hugged by a very gentle and less hairy bear.

 

Tetsurou pointed to Akaashi behind Koutarou’s back, watched as the other man lifted his chin in a slight challenge.  Tetsurou was leaving Akaashi in charge of taking care of Koutarou, though truthfully he had been in the younger man’s capable hands for years now.

 

“We’ll walk you out!”  Koutarou gave a final squeeze before he let go of Tetsurou to grab the discarded box off the floor.

 

They talked of lighter things as they walked out together.  Tetsurou didn’t let himself dwell on anything too nostalgic, didn’t let himself get lost in old memories or the fact that all he would have left of his place was memories.  He didn’t think he would miss the Agency as a whole but more so the people he had met over the years, the solid friendships he had forged, the lasting relationships that he would soon be many kilometers away from.

 

“Sawamura!”  Koutarou shoved Tetsurou’s box back into his hands before making his way over to Daichi, who looked surprised to be called out in the crowded lobby but put on a hesitant smile.

 

Daichi looked better but he still had a long way to go until he was at full health again.  The bruises were now a deep array of blues and purples spreading across his face and hands, which were the only things visible.  He still looked as if he lost too much weight, his cheeks more sunken than normal and his usually deeper skin tone a couple shades lighter.  He stood favoring his left leg but he no longer kept complete pressure off of it.

 

Tetsurou knew what it cost Daichi to come to the Agency building that day.  Unlike those in Section Five who were well versed with Daichi, who knew his name had been cleared and had witnessed the debacle with Oguri, Section One wasn’t the same.  There were lingering stares and outright glares but Daichi pretended to see none of it as he gave a quick nod to whatever Koutarou had said, face serious.

 

“What are we talking about?”  Tetsurou asked, knowing the answer was him.

 

“I was telling him that if at any point you’re unhappy there are many people here who will be glad to take you off his hands.”  Koutarou stated simply. Tetsurou attempted to kick him but Koutarou easily dodged.

 

“Sawamura.”  The voice made every muscle in Tetsurou’s body tense up as they all looked over to the direction it came from.  The new Director Suzuki walked towards them. None of the evidence had ever pointed back towards him, the only close connection he had to it at all was his secretary who repeatedly spoke of his innocence.  Not many people knew of it but the secretary was being held at an institute instead of in a jail for her part in the multiple crimes. Her brain was completely scrambled, they claimed by black magic but Tetsurou knew better.  Knew Suzuki had destroyed her mind to keep his name clean.

 

“Suzuki.”  Daichi greeted the other man, purposefully leaving off any honorifics as Suzuki had done.  Koutarou stiffened next to Tetsurou as Daichi didn’t even bow. “I’m glad I ran into you, I was going to send you this as a congratulations on your new position.”  Daichi pulled out a small box from his jacket pocket. Suzuki took it with a raised eyebrow.

 

“You shouldn’t have.”  Suzuki deadpanned.

 

“But it’s something you wanted.”  Daichi smiled. It wasn’t his usual warm one that lightened his eyes and made him look years younger, but more of a baring of teeth.  “I mean, something the entire Agency had wanted. I thought it fitting.” Suzuki cautiously opened the box before pulling out an ugly looking stone of no particular color.

 

“A paperweight?”  Suzuki guessed.

 

“No, though I guess that’s all it’s good for now.”  Daichi’s smile widened as Suzuki took a closer look at the stone, turning it around his his hand.

 

“That’s not possible.”  Suzuki stated, sharp eyes looking up at Daichi suddenly.  “There’s no magic in this, it can’t be the stone your parents- the one that was stolen.”

 

“It is.”  Daichi promised.  “You can have its authenticity checked.  It’s the real stone to the scepter, though you’re right there’s no more magic left in it.  My father gave it to the Spirit of our land to watch over and apparently they drained the power from it.  I thought there were more Yokai than usual hanging around.” Daichi shot Tetsurou an amused look. A familiar large bat shaped demon had taken to living in the deepest part of the woods on the Sawamura Land.  They hadn’t done anything besides clear the house of any and all fruit that was brought into it.

 

“It’s useless.”  Suzuki’s fingers tightened around the stone, knuckles bled of any color as he stared down at Daichi.  The scepter had been what Suzuki was after, when all the pieces were assembled it could call and control a large hoard of demons.  Whoever wielded it would be infinitely powerful.

 

Tetsurou had his guesses as to why Suzuki had been so desperate for it.  He, like the previous Director Oguri, wasn’t moving up any further in the hierarchy of the Agency.  If the pieces of the scepter were stolen and demons called forth to destroy part of the city, anyone who managed to stop them would become a hero and would be offered anything they wanted.  Suzuki had most likely been planning to pin the attacks on Daichi or someone else if that failed.

 

“Stupid, isn’t it?”  Daichi asked, not backing down from Suzuki’s hard stare.  “Someone went through all that trouble to get that and even if they had gotten it, the scepter is useless now.  Just a piece of junk, like their utterly stupid plan.” Daichi was baiting Suzuki and due to their close proximity, Tetsurou could feel the waves of anger burning inside Daichi.

 

“How unfortunate for the Agency that you are no longer employed here.”  Suzuki said, poking a fresh wound but Daichi barely reacted it.

 

“It’s fine, there’s plenty more like me within the Agency.”  Daichi shrugged. “Oguri could have lived out the rest of his life being a very successful and wealthy man if he hadn’t gotten greedy.  Hopefully no one else tries to follow in his footsteps, it didn’t work out too well for him and I doubt it’d work out well for them.” Suzuki’s jaw clenched before he realized they were being close watched and he took a step back.

 

“Careful Sawamura, that luck of yours won’t always be there to save you.”  Suzuki said, clearly a threat. Daichi smiled, a real one this time as he glanced over at Tetsurou.

 

“True enough, thankfully I have very loyal friends who are willing to help with any trouble I find myself in.”  Tetsurou gave a nod though Daichi hadn’t asked a question. Suzuki didn’t even glance at Tetsurou before he was striding away, the stone still clenched in a tight fist.

 

“Do you think that’s a smart idea?”  Koutarou asked, his eyes on Suzuki’s retreating back.  He looked thoughtful, calculating.

 

“No.”  Daichi answered truthfully before trying to tug the box out of Tetsurou’s arms, but he refused.

 

“You’re still healing.”  Tetsurou reminded him, bending over the box to press their foreheads gently together in a small comfort.  “Let’s go home.” Tetsurou liked the way the word fit on his tongue, the way Daichi’s eyes warmed and softened whenever Tetsurou referred to the house in Miyagi as home.

 

There would most likely be danger in their future.  Daichi was unable to walk away from those in need and Tetsurou was never good at keeping out of trouble himself.  Luckily they had each other and a good group of friends who would watch their backs no matter what the future held for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's done with! It feels like I've been writing this story for ages, so thank you so much if you're managed to stick through the long waits between each chapters! And hopefully you enjoyed the ending. (this last chapter was over 12,000 words so hopefully you understand why it took a little longer to get it out)

**Author's Note:**

> If you're new here, hello! This is the fourth part of my The Agency series, but you don't have to read the other stories to understand this one!
> 
> And if you've read the other parts of this series, hello to you too! And I apologize if you were hoping for another couple. I've been having crazy writers block for a while now so I decided to go back where I was first inspired with this series! I've got ideas for Bokuto/Akaashi and Oikawa/Sugawara but I've been feeling so unmotivated with my own writing.


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